Night Flight
by AmbassadorPrime
Summary: Serina Dara, once a reporter and now a Viper pilot, thought that she and all the other crew members aboard the Battlestar Night Flight were doomed after the Cylon attacks. Then they run into the Galactica. Now they're trying to survive together, fighting Cylons and searching for a new home. Against the odds, Serina finds herself falling in love along the way. Apollo/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_Day 31_

_Life here aboard the Battlestar "Night Flight" is never boring. On the days that we aren't hiding from the Cylons or searching the planets and asteroids we come across (looking for food, water, and or anything else that could be of some use to us) our lives seem to be something straight out of a soap opera I might've watched back on Caprica. Once again, minus all the running and hiding and fighting to stay alive._

_In fact, just yesterday I found out that a certain medic-who I won't mention. I know you like to go through my journal, Sheba, and it's not nice-was pregnant. Pregnant! I suppose it is a good thing though, if we're going to survive as a species we're going to have to all start having babies soon. Yes, Sheba, you too. I don't care how gross you think they are. Everything depends now on just... surviving. If the Cylons destroy us... that's it._

_Also I'm starting to worry about some of the crew. We're all antsy, but some really seem to be just barely hanging in there. They're loosing it. I guess seeing the same four thousand eight hundred and ninety eight faces day after day, with nothing but space all around us, running and hiding and fighting in fear tends to get a little maddening. I hope th—_

—o—

Serina Dara closed her journal with a slam and quickly shoved it under her pillow as the klaxon blared. It seemed that today they were going to be fighting. She listened with one ear as the disembodied voice of Lieutenant Dokita said, "_Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill. Repeat: Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill._"

The young once a Colonial reporter now a Viper pilot hurried to the hanger deck.

"The alert Vipers have been launched," Specialist Reynolds told her as she climbed into her Mark VII. "A whole _bunch_ of ships popped up on the DRADIS. They've launched raiders." Reynolds and a few "lemonheads" helped wheel Serina's Viper into the launch tubes. She ran through the prep as quickly and efficiently as possible then launched.

Serina formed up with her fellow pilots just like in training and just like the past fights she'd been in. When they'd started training new pilots Serina had been among the first to be chosen, and she'd quickly excelled. "Estimate intercept in one minute," Captain Bojay said, coming through Serina's earpiece.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she took long calming breaths. No matter how many times she did this, or would do it, it never got any less nerve-wracking. Her hands were steady on the controls though, and she kept her mind clear and eyes open. About thirty seconds left till intercept and—"_All_ _Vipers disengage,_" Serina heard the XO order. "_Repeat: All Vipers disengage_."

"What?" she heard Lieutenant Sheba Cain ask. "But their Cylo-_oh_ _my_ _gods_."

Serina then saw it. They weren't Cylons, they we're _Vipers_. Old Vipers, but Vipers nonetheless._ Colonial ships!_ She let out a laugh as a wide grin overtook her face. She hadn't laughed like this in a very long time. A sense of relief was running through her and her fellow officers as well. "Thank you, Zeus," she whispered in awe and excitement. "Thank you!"

Laughter and cries of joy from the other pilots assaulted Serina's ears, loud in the small space of her Viper, but she couldn't bring herself to care. _They weren't alone_ _anymore_, and there was a whole fleet of ships out there. Probably Colonial too. Serina doubted a Battlestar would travel with a posse of Cylons. "Whoo hooo!" she heard Sheba laugh. "Can you see this, Spotlight?"

"I see it," Serina laughed back. "_Gods_, do I see it. This is amazing!"

"Unbelievable!" Bojay added, "Unreal! I must be dreaming. Princess, am I dreaming?"

"No sir, not at all."

The Vipers all started to mingle, blending together-_flying together_ as a special way of saying hello. They flew around each other. Some pilots got fancy, rolling and twisting and turning, flying above and below each other in complicated moves. It looked chaotic but, at the same time, it was the most beautiful sight Serina had seen in a long time. The most beautiful sight any of them had seen. It took their breaths away.

* * *

**Back on the Battlestar **_**Night**** Flight: **_**Combat Information Center—**

Commander Matthew Zabat looked to his XO, Colonel Irene Praxis. They stared at each other for a moment. The entire CIC was in the midst of a eerie quiet. No one said a word, they just stared at one another and at the DRADIS in shock.

Lieutenant Dokita had just received _authentic_ recognition codes. It _was_ the Battlestar _Galactica_, along with a fleet of other colonial ships. "Set condition one throughout the ship," Praxis ordered. She kept her eyes locked on the Commander. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I can't believe this is happening."

"After all this time," Zabat said. "To think there were other survivors."

"I couldn't let myself think about it," Praxis confessed. "I didn't want to hope for something that might…. _Thi_s_ is a miracle_, Matt. I thought we were all alone out here, doomed to run for as long as we could and then find some nice little planet to die on. The last of our species."

Zabat nodded slowly in agreement with his XO and long-time friend, disbelief still evident on his face. "I know. We all thought the same thing…. Get a Raptor ready," he said. "I'm going over there."

Praxis promptly snapped back into her military mindset. "Marines?"

He shook his head, "No, no. That won't be necessary. This is a joyous occasion. Let's not ruin it by waving weapons in each others faces. You'll stay here, let the crew know what's happened and keep things under control." They both looked back up at the DRADIS. At the bright green words: _Battlestar_ _Galactica_.

* * *

_"Night Flight_ Raptor 612, _Galactica_. Skids down... mag secure. Welcome aboard, Commander."

Serina looked over at Commander Zabat. She'd been assigned to accompany him to the _Galactica _along with Captain Bojay, Sheba, and Lieutenant Park. Serina was nervous, Bojay was too if his rapid finger-tapping meant anything, but Sheba and Commander Zabat looked calm. "I can't believe it," Sheba was mumbling under her breath over and over again—that was the only thing that gave away her state of mind.

"Believe it," Commander Zabat finally said as they were lowered onto the hanger deck. It was the first thing he had said since boarding the shuttle. Serina smiled at her aunt's best friend and mouthed 'nervous?' He shook his head slightly in reply and gave her a tiny smile back and a wink. Serina smiled wider and her nerves faded away.

The Raptor pilot maneuvered the shuttle gracefully into position. She heard someone call for 'group attention' as the Raptor door opened. It had been decided that Serina would step out first, followed by Sheba, Bojay, Park, and then the Commander. It was a safety precaution, not that it was needed. She took a deep breath and stood.

Serina stepped out of the shuttle and scanned all the faces before stepping off to the side and onto the floor. Sheba did the same but stepped off on the other side. Captain Bojay went off on the same side as Sheba, and Park stood on the same side as Serina. The Commander stepped out once they were in their positions, as planned. Serina stared into the crowd, making eye contact with people that looked just as nervous as she was. And just as excited.

Commander Zabat stepped off the wing of the Raptor and walked up to the Commander of the _Galactica__, _who Serina had been told was named Adama. The two Commanders saluted one another. "Commander Zabat," Adama said, "Welcome aboard the _Galactica._"

"Commander Adama," Zabat said, extending his hand to shake Commander Adama's, "I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight then this ship. It's an honor and a pleasure to be here."

"May I present to you the President of the Colonies," Adama said, grasping Zabat's hand, "Laura Roslin." If Zabat was shocked, he didn't show it. Serina, on the other hand, couldn't control her reaction. Thankfully, it wasn't anything significant or embarrassing, but her eyebrows did shoot up and the shock was clearly evident on her face. She supposed, however, that with a fleet of civilians it would be best to have someone in control other then the military.

"It's a long story. Welcome," the President said with a polite smile. She sounded a little breathless, as if she couldn't believe what was happening. Serina knew exactly how she felt, she was still waiting to wake up in her rack to Sheba, singing loudly as she got ready for the day.

"Madam President," Commander Zabat, after releasing Adama's hand, extended a hand to her as well, not missing a beat. "It's an honor and I hope to hear that story." He then looked around at the crowd of people that had gathered to welcome them. "I speak for all the officers and crew of the _Night Flight _when I say: it's a pleasure to be aboard this lovely ship of yours and it feels good to be home again."

The cheers started after that, loud and accompanied with clapping. Serina couldn't help but laugh and smile once again as well. Grinning brightly, she stepped forward and hugged the first person she saw. When she pulled back she turned and hugged the next person and the next exchanging names briefly before moving onward. She came to a blonde woman with short hair wearing her flight suit, like Serina. The two shook hands, "Hi, I'm Serina Dara."

"Kara Thrace," the woman replied with a smile. "Call me Starbuck."

"Call me Spotlight," Serina smiled back.

_Oh my gods_, she thought when a man stepped next to Starbuck. He was _simply __gorgeous _with sky blue eyes, dark hair, and strong facial features. He was wearing his dress uniform and from the pins, if Serina was reading them right, he was a Captain.

"Spotlight, this is Apollo," Starbuck said. "Apollo, this is Spotlight."

He smiled at her and it took her breath away. "Serina Dara," she said extending her hand to _Apollo_. It was fitting that his callsign be one of the gods, he looked like he could be a god himself. Serina internally slapped herself for that thought, she was thinking like some sort of schoolgirl who had just developed her first crush. It was true, but still..._  
_

"Lee Adama," he said, accepting her hand. "Why do they call you Spotlight?"

"I'd have to tell you the story," Serina said, recalling that particular night. The brandy really had been flowing that night after Serina's first battle situation.

"I'd love to hear it sometime," he said. It occurred to Serina that _maybe_ he was flirting with her, then it occurred to Serina that they were still holding hands even though they'd stopped shaking. Okay, so he _probably_ was flirting. Then it hit her that he was the Commander's son, which _probably_ put him out of her league.

"Well I'd love to tell it," she said. She broke eye contact before she could say something stupid. "I'd also like to hear why you're called Starbuck," she said, bringing the other woman back into conversation.

"And I can tell everyone why I'm called Princess!" Sheba said, throwing an arm around Serina's neck after having appeared out of nowhere.

Serina groaned, "Please don't." She finally released Apollo's hand, rather reluctantly. "I've heard that story enough times and it gets worse each time."

"Well, you don't have to listen. Our new friends here do, though," she grinned. "I'm Sheba Cain. The guy standing behind me is Nathan Bojay." The introductions continued. Serina broke away from Sheba and, with one last smile at Apollo, she continued through the crowd. She made sure to stick near the Commander. There might not be any danger, but she wanted to make sure he was alright anyway. Her aunt would probably never forgive her if anything _did _happen.

"Serina Dara," she said, shaking hands with the next person she came across. This man was slightly taller then Apollo had been but nowhere near as good-looking.

"Chief Tyrol," he said. "That's a nice looking Raptor behind you. Mind if I take a look?"

She shook her head, "Be my guest." She looked around for a second. "Lieutenant Douglas!" She waved the other woman over, "Why don't you show Chief Tyrol here around the Raptor." Serina had no objections with letting the man look at the Raptor, but she had learned from some of the other pilots that Chief Noran, the _Night Flight's _own Deck Chief, was fiercely protective of all his birds.

Lieutenant Grace Douglas, the electronic countermeasures officer or ECO, who had been with them for the flight over nodded with her cute, dimpled smile. "Sure thing, Spotlight." She then led the Chief on board the Raptor, making polite and friendly conversation. Lieutenant Douglas' callsign was Amity, because she was always ready and willing to be anyone's friend.

"Lieutenant Dara," Commander Zabat's voice startled her and she realized that she had drifted a lot closer to her commanding officer then she had originally intended. "Let me to introduce you to Laura Roslin, President of the Colonies," he said. "Madam President, this is Lieutenant Serina Dara, my gods-daughter."

Serina shook hands with the President, heart beat speeding up once again, "It's truly a honor to meet you, Madam President." She smiled as charmingly as possible without coming off as fake. "And may I say: congratulations. It's quite a step from Secretary of Education to President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol."

The President smiled warmly back at Serina, "That it is and thank you." She looked confused for a moment after she released Serina's hand. "Wait a minute, you seem familiar. Have we met before?"

The once-reporter grinned and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I interviewed you about a year ago on some of the problems in the school system."

Recognition flashed in the once-schoolteacher's eyes. "That's right," she said. "How did you end up a pilot, lieutenant?"

Serina shrugged, "Same way you became president, madam. They needed someone so I stepped up." President Roslin nodded in agreement. Serina then excused herself from the group. Even in her journalism days, being surrounded by important figures tended to make her nervous. However, back then it had been necessary. Now it wasn't. Serina slipped back into the crowds.

* * *

The two Commanders, the President, and Colonel Tigh had disappeared somewhere, presumably to talk about the situation they now found themselves in. Serina found herself wondering exactly what would happen. Obviously, they were going to stick together, but what did that mean? Would one of the Commander's take control? Or would they work together? Would the crews remain separate or become one?

While all those things were discussed, Serina, Sheba, Park, and Bojay had relocated to the _Galactica's _rec room (Amity was still with the Chief and the Raptor pilot, Lt. Mann, had gone with the Commander). Surrounded by other officers, Serina felt like some sort of celebrity. She and her fellow pilots had been answering questions about where they had been and what they'd done since the Fall for the past fifteen minutes.

"Every time the Cylons showed up we'd either jump or fight," Sheba shrugged. "Either way we wanted to get the frak out of there as fast as we could. I like shooting down Cylons and all but my Mark VII can only take so much abuse."

"No frakkin' way," Starbuck said, leaning forward. "You guys have Mark VIIs?"

"You bet," Sheba gloated. "Let me tell you they fly like a _beauty_. What do you guys have? Mark IIs, right?"

Serina shook her head and elbowed Sheba in the ribs. "Be nice, Princess. Don't get us airlocked." She turned to Starbuck, "You'll have to come fly with us sometime. Sheba here will _gladly_ lend you hers." Serina then noticed the looks on the other officer's faces. "I'm sure you'll all get a chance to fly a Mark VII at some point, don't worry."

"Yeah, they'll probably transfer some of us around," Park said. "You know, mix the crews together."

"You think they'll integrate us?" asked a Raptor pilot Serina had learned was named Sharon "Boomer" Valerii.

Bojay said, "I don't see why not."

"But who'll be in command?" someone asked.

"Commander Adama, of course," someone else answered. "He's got the most experience."

Sheba stood, "Are you insulting Commander Zabat? Because, FYI, _we _have one of the most advanced ships in the fleet. You all are supposed to be a museum right now." That comment broke the proverbial flood gates and multiple arguments broke out with everyone defending his or her ship. The noise level grew as shouting started, and Sheba looked like she was ready to hit someone.

"That's enough," Captain Adama's voice cut through everyone's argument. He'd been in the room since they beginning, but suddenly a commanding presence that hadn't been there before descended, freezing everyone in their places. Silence fell. "There's no use arguing about this," he pointed out. "Nothing has been decided and it's true that Commander Adama has more experience, but it's also true that the _Night Flight _is more advanced."

"Does that mean Adama's going to take the _Night Flight _from us?" Park asked, unhelpfully.

"I dare him to try," Sheba glowered.

"Shut up," Serina snapped at them. "The both of you." She picked up where Apollo's speech had left off, "Everyone just calm down. I'm sure that no matter what happens, everything will be fine. Commander Zabat and Commander Adama are both reasonable people, and I doubt either one of them want to control each other. They'll probably make some sort of compromise." Serina actually had no idea what Commander Adama was like or what he wanted to do, but she was guessing and _hoping_ that he wasn't some tyrant.

"She's right," Apollo picked the lecture back up again. "So, let's all just relax." Slowly, everyone sat back down. Serina smiled at Apollo and he smiled back. "So," he said, changing topics smoothly, "Why do they call you Spotlight?"

Serina opened her mouth to respond but Sheba, who had calmed down in seconds, beat her to it, "She used to be a journalist on Caprica."

Bojay disagreed, "No, no, it's because when she was flying her first CAP, about a dozen Cylon Raiders showed up and she took out about half of them, saved two of our pilots from becoming dust, and got promoted afterwards."

Serina tried to act nonchalant, but at Apollo's impressed look she began to beam with pride. "It's a combination of both, really."

"Impressive," he said. "You sound like quite the pilot." She didn't miss his eyes looking her up and down and she gladly returned the favor.

Starbuck scoffed, "If I did that, he'd yell at me for being an idiot."

He looked at the blonde to his left briefly before looking back at Serina, who was seated across from him, "Because you are an idiot, Starbuck, and a showoff."

Serina said to Apollo, "We should get them together sometime then, Princess and Starbuck. We can watch them try to outdo each other."

"I am not a showoff," Sheba huffed. "I'm just better then all of you, and you can't stand that."

Starbuck laughed, "Finally, someone who gets me." Starbuck then looked to Serina, who had to drag her eyes away from the hypnotic blue of Apollo's. "Wait, you guys started training civilians to be pilots? What happened there?"

Bojay replied, "We were down a few pilots after a pretty nasty fight with the Cylons. Spotlight here and a few others who had passed Basic Flight were chosen."

"When did a journalist have time to take Basic Flight?" Boomer asked. Up until then she'd been talking with Park about Pyramid. Serina had quickly tuned the conversation out. It was too painful to listen to. Serina's brother, Robert, had been a Pyramid player. He'd also been the only member left in her family besides her aunt before the Fall of the Colonies. So his death stung freshly in her heart.

"It was one of my broadcasts, actually," Serina informed her. "I was reporting on life in the military. I followed a group of 'nuggets' around and was offered the chance to take Basic Flight with them as a sort of hands-on insight into what new recruits go through. It was a lot of fun and I did pretty well apparently. Actually, I was on the _Night Flight _making a follow-up report on one of the more successful cadets a few months later when everything went down."

"And so the glamorous journalist became a lowly pilot," Sheba said. She pouted, faking a sympathetic look, "Poor girl. It must be so hard on her. Then again, you always do seem to find a way back into the spotlight, Spotlight."

"What can I say?" Serina shrugged. "I was born to be a star." The group laughed.

Sheba tugged on the end of one of Serina's long strands of hair. "I'm surprised they didn't make you cut this luscious mane off. Although," she ruffled her own longer-then-regulation hair, "I suppose there's not much of a point to it, huh? But, then again, maybe having the Commander wrapped around your pinky finger helps."

Starbuck raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "Excuse me?"

Serina smacked the other pilot playfully on the arm, "That's disgusting, Starbuck." She ignored Starbuck's, "I didn't say anything," and continued by saying, "He's my gods-father. We're pretty much related."

"Uh huh," Sheba said. She turned to the others in the little group they had formed. The other officers had also formed their own groups and some had left the rec room all together. It was Starbuck, Apollo, Sheba, and Serina who now sat together. Bojay, Park, and Boomer were close by. Close enough to join the conversation every now and again, but far enough to be their own little group. "Serina here is also the niece of the XO, there's also rumor going around that she's having an affair with the Senior Officer of the Watch."

Serina gasped, "That's a lie! A complete lie! Where'd you hear that?"

"Oh, a little birdie told me," Sheba smiled slyly, which meant that she had been the one to start the rumor. "You'd think the reporter would be used to rumors."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Whatever, but don't go around telling people that. It's not true," she met Apollo's eyes briefly as she said that but then broke them off as a light blush covered her cheeks. Now that she'd announced she was single, she supposed it was his turn to either do the same or ask her out. That is, if he was interested. She tried not to suddenly worry about if he was interested or not.

* * *

**Commander Adama's Quarters, _Galactica—_**

"So, we're agreed then," Commander Zabat said as the long discussion he had been locked in with the President of the Colonies, Commander Adama, and Colonel Tigh came to a close. At the beginning of the discussion, he had been regretting not bringing his own XO, but it turned out he didn't need Praxis. He wasn't going to have to fight for his ship. "You keep your ship and people, I keep mine, and we'll set up this…" Zabat paused as he tried to recall the word the president had used, "_Partnership_." He finished off the last of his whiskey and set the glass down.

President Roslin confirmed that with a nod, though she had insisted she was just there to help. She had claimed that she didn't want to be involved with the military, but a few minutes in and Zabat could tell that she clearly favored Adama. "We're agreed."

Zabat turned to the other commander, "Good. I suggest we begin by coordinating our pilots. Vipers from each ship can fly CAPs around the fleet together. Captain Bojay and Captain Adama can see to that, I believe."

"I agree," Adama said. "I'm glad we could reach an… amicable decision."

Commander Zabat stood, "I too." The others in the room stood as well as he said, "It's been, truly, a pleasure, but I'm sure my XO is starting to wear down her shoes and the floor with her pacing, so I'd best be going. I'll leave Captain Bojay here for now. Thank you again, Commander, for allowing me aboard your ship. Please, feel free to visit the _Night Flight _sometime." They saluted each other once again.

The second the bulkhead closed behind him President Roslin let out a sigh, "Wow..." No one else said anything, but they all did nod in agreement.

* * *

**A/N: Takes place after "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" but before "The Hand of God." By the way, Bojay, Sheba, and Serina are all BSG original characters. As in they are from the original Battlestar Galactica. So, technically, Serina is not an OC not all, but I've taken liberties with their personalities and what not, think of them as the re-imagined versions. Also, Sheba Cain really is the daughter of Admiral Cain in the original series. Can anyone say DRAMA? Of course, that's not till much, much later. If I continue (if people are actually reading). Feel free to review and let me know, so I know if I should delete this or keep going. **

**They also put a smile on my face. =)**

**Hope you read that. XD**


	2. Chapter 2

Serina's body was back on the _Night Flight, _but her mind was still on _Galactica_. More specifically, she was thinking about one Captain Lee Adama. Those blue eyes had been burned into her memory. Oh, yes, she was definetely behaving like some schoolgirl who'd just met the cutest boy in school. Even worse, her best friend, Sheba, could tell and, just to be cruel, wouldn't stop talking about it.

"I mean, you two would make a _perfect _couple," Sheba said while Serina tried to focus on her finishing her journal entry. Sheba was sitting on the rack across from Serina, the one below her own, casually tossing a small ball back and forth between her hands.

Without looking up, interested, but trying to mask it, Serina asked, "And what makes you say that, Aphrodite?"

"He's their commander's son, you're our commander's gods-child, you're both pilots, and you both natural born leaders." Sheba grinned, "Oh and you both also have awesome best friends who may or may not be planning on finding a way to hook you to up."

Serina stopped writing, "Please don't, Sheba. I'm really not _that _interested in him." _Yes you are_, Serina's mind whispered to her. "Not interested enough to let you get involved," Serina amended. "Please, just stay out of it."

"Okay," Sheba said in an unconvincing way. "Whatever you want, S. Hey, you wanna fly the first joint _Galactica-Night Flight _CAP with me?"

"You know the CAG decides who flies when," Serina said. She rolled off her bunk and turned left to put her journal in the locker. When she opened it she was greeted with a picture of herself and her brothers. Sheba was silent for that moment, letting Serina mourn in silence. Serina looked away from the photo and shoved her journal inside. "Last time I checked, you weren't the CAG, Sheba."

Sheba said a silent prayer for her own family before replying, "Oh, but I know who's _secretly_ dating the CAG. And this _secret_ someone, who will remain anonymous for obvious reasons, happens to have him wrapped around her fingers."

Serina glared at her friend, "Yes, well this secret _someone _better not do what I think she's thinking of doing because it's wrong. We'll get our turn to fly the CAP, don't worry."

She whined, "But I wanna go first! _First_, Serina! Not second, or third." The blonde grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, "Besides, what if a certain god-like Captain flies the first CAP? You wouldn't want to miss talking to him, would you?"

"Exactly what kind of conversation are we going to have on the same channel as the rest of you plus with the CIC's of both the _Galactica _and _Night Flight_ listening in? Hey, how 'bout those C-Bucs?" Serina ignored the twinge in her chest. "Did you forget that my aunt is the XO? And that my gods-father is the _commander_? And to top it all off his father is a commander too!"

She frowned, "Guess that is a major mood killer, huh?"

"Mmhm."

* * *

**Commander Matthew Zabat's Quarters, _Night Flight_— **

"That's wonderful," Colonel Praxis proclaimed from her seat in her friend and commanding officer's quarters. "Matt," she had forgone the formalities, since they were both alone and off duty, "The _Night Flight _is still ours and we have a whole fleet of ships with us now too."

Commander Zabat, upon returning, had poured himself another drink. He handed Praxis her own glass before joining her on the couch in his quarters. "I know. That's a bit of a problem though."

"How so?"

"We have more people to protect now, Irene," he stated. "When we were alone, if the Cylons showed up all we really had to do was jump. Sometimes we fought, but it wasn't necessary. Now, we have to make sure everyone else gets out safe first. We could loose a lot of good people."

"Yeah, but the _Galactica _will be with us, and they've been doing the same thing on their own for the past month. They've done a damn good job at it too. Have you read these?" she held up a copy of some of the _Galactica's _logs. "Did you read the one where every thirty-three minutes the Cylons would attack for six days? My gods, and I thought we had some hard battles. Together, it'll be a hell of a lot easier to defend the Fleet and protect ourselves from the Cylons."

"Yes, I read it, and don't jinx us, Irene. I've had McClure send over our own logs." He sat back for a moment, watching Irene continue to read through the logs. Finally, he said, "Did you know they have a President?"

She looked up, "What?"

* * *

**Weight Room, _Night Flight—_**

Sheba did end up flying the first CAP, but Serina had stayed behind. She'd decided to hit the weight room before going to sleep. Serina would fly that second CAP starting at 0800 hours the next day. Sheba had informed Serina before she left with a cheeky wink that Apollo had been scheduled to fly the first CAP. "Bet he'll be disappointed," the blonde had said before ducking out of the room.

"Alright, what's wrong, Spotlight?" asked another one of Serina's good friends on the _Night_ _Flight _called Honey. Her real name was Chara Sorrell, and she had been one of the new recruits with Serina. Honey had worked for her father's delivery business, piloting shuttles, before the Fall. So it hadn't been hard to train her to be both a Raptor and Viper pilot. Honey would fly a CAP the next day as well. _  
_

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Serina asked as she exercised her leg muscles, pressing forward and up on the leg press before lowering it back down, and then pressing back up again.

Honey, who was on the leg press next to Serina, replied, "You have that look on your face."

"What look?"

"You know," Honey rolled her eyes, "And I want to know what's wrong."

"Nothing's _wrong, _Honey," Serina assured the girl. "It's just... this is a lot to take in. All of a sudden we're a part of a colonial fleet. All of a sudden we aren't the only five thousand people left from the Twelve Colonies. There are civilians out there too."

"Are you thinking about going to back to being a reporter? You can now, now that there's more then just a military ship for you to be on."

Serina shook her head, "No. I like being a pilot." Serina lowered the weights for the last time and then got off. "What about you? Will you stay here or go back to your old job? Or maybe find something new to do?"

Honey answered in the negative, "Oh, no. I'm like this job too, it's kind of like my old job just a lot less... fishy. Some of those packages I delivered were probably illegal. This _is_ more dangerous, but also legal. Who knows, though? Maybe someday I'll retire for the military and become a gardener or something. Something important, but not as... risky."

Serina agreed and then after a few more exercises said goodbye. She stopped by the head for a quick shower and to brush her teeth and wash her face before heading back to her duty locker and to bed. When she got back to the locker she shared with several other officers, Amity was the only other one in the room. The ECO was sitting at the chrome table in the center of the room reading a book.

"What'cha got there?" Serina asked, sitting down on her bunk to remove her shoes. The red-headed woman held up the book so Serina could see the cover. "_Tears of the Heart-Broken Princess,_" Serina read. "Oh, is that the book-version of the old soap opera? I think I saw a few episodes once." _  
_

Amity nodded, "It's beautiful, and heartbreaking," she wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. "It's about a princess who falls in love with the leader of the royal army, but he tells her that they can't be together and she spends the rest of the book, and the series, trying to prove to him that they belong together."

"Sounds like quite the series," Serina said. "I never did ask you about your time aboard the _Galactica_. What'd you think?"

Amity closed her book. "I pretty much spent the entire time with Chief Tyrol. We talked about the stuff we've been through. Did you know that Cylons look like us now?"

Serina froze, "Like us?"

"Well, not _us _as in _you and me, _but 'us' as in they look human."

"My gods," Serina gasped. Her mind was whirring with this new information. That meant _anyone _could be a Cylon. She could be smiling at Cylons in the corridors as she walked by, she could be eating with Cylons, playing cards with them and telling them secrets and stories about her childhood. What if she had accidentally dated a Cylon in high school? "That's insane."

Amity nodded in agreement. "I know. I was pretty shocked too." She suddenly paled, "You don't think that... you don't think that there are Cylons on the _Night Flight _do you?"

"Maybe," Serina admitted. "It's a possibility. We have no way of knowing, do we?"

Serina got the feeling that sleep would not come easily that night. And when she finally did fall asleep, her dreams were plagued with visions of her friends (Sheba, Bojay, Amity, Honey) being Cylons, and her family, the people she had met aboard the _Galactica _like Starbuck, Chief Tyrol, Boomer, and the President being Cylons. The worst Cylon dream was probably when she saw Lee Adama, eyes glowing red.

* * *

**Spotlight's Viper Mark VII—**

At exactly 0800 hours Serina was in her Viper, somewhat well rested and ready to go. She relived Sheba of duty, picking up the same course, while Starbuck relieved a pilot called Racetrack. The two formed up with Starbuck as the leader and Serina as her wingman. "Aw," Sheba said before she left in her best little-kid voice, "I weally wanted to fly with Starbuck."

"Sorry, but you two need constant adult supervision," Serina said.

"Hey!" both Sheba and Starbuck exclaimed. Sheba then said goodbye to only Starbuck, and wishing her luck on 'dealing with the superstar' before heading back to the _Night Flight _to get some rest. "Well, now it's just you and me," Starbuck said.

The two flew in mostly silence, but every now and then Starbuck would act as Serina's tour guide and point out the ships they flew by: their names and their functions._ Starbuck must not have talked to Sheba yet_, Serina decided, because the other woman had yet to try to bring up her CAG: Apollo. It was either that or Starbuck had a little more class then Sheba.

Sheba could be incredibly sneaky and tactful when she wanted to… she just never really wanted to. She had a open personality, and was willing to express her thoughts and feelings to anyone who would listen. Serina had decided it was, most likely, a product of Sheba's mostly isolated childhood and all the pressures she'd been under from her parents.

"Wow," Serina commented as they flew past the _Hitei Kan_, a tylium refinery ship. "It looks like you guys have just about everything you need to survive right here in this Fleet. We've had to stop off at random asteroids to scavenge for supplies. Or search through the remains of other ships."

"Remains?" Starbuck asked.

"Yeah," Serina swallowed. "Sometimes, after the Cylons destroyed other surviving ships, we'd look through the remains. We'd look for survivors in escape pods or just pieces of scrap metal if we could. We picked up a few people here and there, but mostly it was just junk."

It felt odd. To be calling the remains of a ships of peoples massacred by Cylons as "junk." So, Serina added, "Just... debris, really."

Starbuck mumbled something that Serina couldn't quite hear, but she got the feeling it might've been a prayer or a threat. A threat to the Cylons. No one had seen it coming really. Maybe a few paranoid people. Serina vaguely remembered a girl from her school days who was carted off to a mental hospital, ranting and raving about how the Cylons would one day return.

Serina felt now that they should've listened to that girl and all the others who spouted off the same exact words. They should've heard the warning.

* * *

_Day 32_

_I just flew my first CAP with a new pilot I met: Starbuck. The woman reminds me of Sheba in a lot of ways, but somehow I think that she and I will never become as good of friends as Sheba and I have become. (To Sheba, who will read this later: you should feel flattered. Starbuck is not about to steal your place in my heart). _

_Morale has improved since yesterday, surprising me with the quickness. Just under twenty-four hours ago it seemed that half of the crew and the officers were going to off themselves from depression, but, suddenly, it's like they have a reason to live. _

_Finding the "Galactica" and their Colonial Fleet—which is now also __our__ Colonial Fleet—has turned out to be a gods-send, in just about every manner. Not only do we no longer have to hunt for resources… we have hope. Hope for a brighter future. _

_Five thousand people could've started their own colony, but I get the feeling that 52, 803 people will fare much better._

* * *

**Colonel Irene Praxis' Quarters, _Night Flight—_**

Irene Praxis smiled at her niece as she handed the younger woman a small box, "I found this while sorting through some of this junk in here. I was looking for things to trade and instantly thought of you when I saw it."

Serina sat down on the couch with her aunt, smiling back. "What is it?" she asked, already opening the box. She gasped, "Auntie!" She reached inside and pulled out the small pin. Tears threatened to fall from her brown eyes as she held the pin in her hand, "I lost mine a long time ago."

Irene placed a hand on her nieces back as a few tears escaped her eyes. "I know, baby, I know."

"And I didn't think about getting another one," Serina continued. "I thought… we'll I certainly didn't think that the worlds would end, but I thought there'd be plenty of time to get a new one, and I didn't really care about it that much anyway. I thought it was just a pin." She got quieter and whispered, "I never even got to say goodbye."

Her aunt leaned against Serina, giving a non-verbal form of comfort. "Me too." She took the pin from the younger's hand, "Here, let's put it on." Irene wordlessly fashioned the pin to Serina's grey tank top. "Perfect."

Serina wiped the tears from her face. "Yeah?"

Irene nodded, "Yeah." She patted Serina on the back and then moved away. "So, tell me, how have you been?"

"Fine," Serina said, drying the last of her tears. "I just flew my first CAP with a _Galactica _pilot. She told me about all the different ships in the Fleet. I still can't believe we found them. Did you know that they've got a prison ship?"

Irene nodded and pointed to one of the files on her coffee table, "I've been reading about all the ships in the Fleet for the past forty minutes. They've also got a sewage recycling ship, passenger liners, a mining ship, cold storage, you name it. Talk about fortunate, as bad as that may sound. It seems like they have everything they could possibly need."

"I said the same thing," Serina agreed. "And we're extremely fortunate to find them. An unfortunate situation filled with fortunate coincidences... it's kind of a confusing situation to think about."

"Hmm, speaking of confusing situations, I didn't just ask you here today to give you that pin," Irene confessed. "As much as I love your company there's something important that we need to talk about. The Commander's, Captain Bojay, and Captain Adama have agreed to set up a bit of a exchange program."

Serina frowned, "An exchange program?"

"Yes. We want our pilots to get to know each other better, since you'll be flying and fighting together and all, it's important that you are capable of working together as a team. We also want to let some of the _Galactica _pilots get experience in the Mark VIIs. We're starting with you and Sorrell. We would've sent Lt. Cain with you, but we want to make a good impression."

"I get it, auntie. You forget that I have to live with her."

"Trust me, I don't. Anyway, you and Sorrell will spend the next few days aboard the _Galactica _and..." Irene stopped to look at a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of her, "...Lieutenants Quartararo and Valerii will come here. I don't need to tell you to be on your best behavior do I? And to obey orders, stay in line, and represent the _Night Flight _as best you can?"

Serina mock-saluted her aunt, "Yes, sir!"

* * *

Sheba was complaining. Loudly.

"It's not fair," she insisted as she watched Honey and Serina pack. The two dark-haired females were throwing their clothes into the same bag. They didn't need to pack much. With a few exceptions in Serina's case, all the clothes they had were regulation so if they needed more they could probably find something clean to wear aboard the _Galactica__. _"I'm a better pilot then both of y'all combined."

"You also have the ego the size of this Fleet, and that's _bound _to get you in trouble. We're supposed to make _good impressions, _Sheba, and, face it, you're not too good at those when it comes to authority situations."

Honey, being the sweetheart that she is, said, "I'm sure you'll get a chance too, Princess."

Sheba deflated slightly. Honey had that effect on people. Serina swore that if she ever needed a negotiator, she would use Honey. The girl was gentle and kind, but she could also be very firm in her decisions and could probably win an argument and you wouldn't even realize that you'd lost. "Fine," she grumbled. "But I can still be mad. I can't believe they don't trust me."

"I'm sure they trust _you _just not your... reactions," Honey said. "You do have a tendency to disobey orders and a tendency towards... insubordination."

"Whatever."

Honey and Serina arrived on the _Galactica a _few hours later after convincing Sheba that hiding aboard the shuttle and tagging along was _not_ a good idea, and would not help in making a good impression _at all_. Serina tried not to pout like a child when she noticed Apollo was not present. She did smile a little, however, when she saw Starbuck.

"Hey, Starbuck," she said and, before she could stop herself she asked, "Where's Apollo?"

Starbuck replied, "He's in a meeting with Bojay. Come on, I'll show you to your duty locker." Somehow, for the first time, Serina noticed Starbuck walked with a cane, but she decided not to say anything (she was a little to busy wondering how she didn't notice it before). The woman reminded her of Sheba _a lot _and, if they were as alike as they seemed, she probably didn't want to talk about it. Or she would bring it up on her own.

Honey stayed quite as well. She wouldn't talk about something that might make a person upset or uncomfortable even if she had good intentions, it was just her way. She had a knack for sensing moods and predicting reactions.

Starbuck showed them to the duty locker they had been assigned to stay in during their stay. Serina took Boomer's bed and Honey took Crashdown's. "Well," she said, "I'll let you get settled in. There's a card game in the rec room in twenty and a pre-flight briefing at 0700 tomorrow."After that she left and Honey and Serina set about unpacking their shared bag.

About a minute into their unpacking, Serina stopped. "Hey, I really have to pee, but I'll be back in a minute."

"You didn't have to be that specific, but okay," Honey laughed. "I'll be here."

Serina laughed too, "Sorry. Habit. Sheba usually makes me tell her where I'm going and who I'm going with, she's worse then my father was." Serina left the locker after that.

She looked to her left and the to her right. She had no idea which way she should go. She turned right with a shrug. She'd probably find a head at some point, and a little exploring couldn't be too bad.

The brunette pilot turned a corner and ran smack into someone else. A hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could fall and helped her regain her balance. "Gods! I'm sorry," she said. She looked up and her breath caught.

"Are you alright?" Apollo asked staring at her with those heavenly blue eyes of his. Serina had never been more attracted to someones _eyes _in her life.

"Yeah, sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Serina said, blushing more from his proximity then embarrassment.

He let go of her wrist, "It's fine. I wasn't paying attention either. It's Serina, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, and you're Apollo?" She phrased it like a question, but there was no doubt in her mind who he was. She hadn't really stopped thinking about him since they met, which she thought was ridiculous because she hardly knew him.

"Lee," he corrected. "Um, you can call me Lee." Serina didn't miss the _you _in the sentence.

She smiled at him, "Lee, then."

* * *

**A/N: I have no idea how to characterize Lee... so I apologize in advance if he ever seems a little OOC. I'm trying, people. Oh, thank you to the people that reviewed. I didn't think anybody would read this. Please, keep reviewing: it makes me happy. It's also how I know that people are interested and would like more. Anonymous reviews are welcome too. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is for a certain "Guest" who reminded me that Lee does indeed have his own Mark VII Viper. Thanks, I _completely _forgot about that. Also, as per her request I put Lee in a little more. They're short scenes though. **

* * *

It didn't occur to Serina until a few seconds later that they were just standing there. In the middle of the corridor. Staring. "Oh, um," she searched for something, _anything_ to say. "Can you, um, help me? I'm a little lost. I'm trying to find the head."

"Oh, um, I'll show you," Lee said, "This way." Together they turned and walked back the way Lee had come from and in the direction that Serina had been heading. "So, how do you like the _Galactica _so far?" he asked, attempting to make conversation.

"It's wonderful," she said. "It's almost like a dream, really. I never thought we'd find other ships out here, much less another Battlestar. Starbuck was telling me about all the stuff you guys have been through. It sounds incredible!"

"Starbuck likes to exaggerate," Lee said.

Serina nodded, "I got the feeling. I know the type. Sheba has quite a knack for it too.I get the feeling that those to are going to become fast friends. I guess that means I'll see you in Sickbay from time to time. You know, when we visit them."

They both laughed and Lee added, "Or if we're laid-up because of them."

"It's a date," Serina joked, but then instantly regretted it. The awkward atmosphere had been lifting, but now it fell back down once again. The two stopped outside a bulkhead, and Serina got the feeling that on the other side was the head. She, however, made no move to go inside. Opting to smile at Lee in a way she hoped didn't look frightening.

"Um... I guess I'll see you around," Lee said.

"Yeah," Serina nodded. "I look forward to it."

Instead of adding to the tension, like Serina thought it might the moments the words had left her mouth, it seemed to relieve it. "Me too," Lee said with a smile of his own.

* * *

**Back in the Duty Locker, _Galactica—_**

Honey was in the middle of putting the rest of her things as well as Serina's away when the door opened again. She looked up, expecting Serina and was slightly startled to see someone else. A man stepped in. He stopped when he saw the unfamiliar woman. "Um… am I in the wrong locker?"

Honey smiled welcomingly and giggled slightly, "No. Hi, I'm Honey, I'm one of exchange pilots from the _Night Flight_. My friend Spotlight should be back in a minute,"

"Oh, right, well I'm Skulls."

"Nice to meet you, Skulls."

* * *

Serina couldn't deny the disappointment she felt when she stepped out of the head and Lee was gone. Not that she had wanted him to wait for her like some sort of stalker, but she liked seeing the man. The _Galactica's _CAG was quickly becoming a constant thought in Serina's mind, and she almost hated herself for it. She should be able to keep it together, not spend her time thinking about some guy.

Once again, Serina collided with someone as she turned a corner. Sadly, this time it wasn't Lee. "This just keeps happening," Serina groaned as she helped the woman she had run into steady herself, like Lee had done for her. Instead, however, unlike Lee she let go of the other's arm at once. "I'm sorry, miss. My mind is just off today."

"It's fine," the other said. "It's my fault. Sorry."

Serina disagreed, "No, if anyone's to blame here it's me. First Captain Adama now you," she stopped. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name." Serina introduced herself first, "I'm Lieutenant Serina Dara, I just came over from the _Night Flight_." She held out her hand for the other woman to shake.

The other accepted. "Cally."

"Cally," Serina nodded. "And sorry again. I told you, I'm just all over the place today. _Galactica's _a little different from _Night Flight__._"

"I'd imagine," the younger said. She paused, "What's it like?"

"Like the _Galactica _just more advanced," Serina admitted. "A bit bigger too. I hope you get to see it sometime, she's a beauty. The _Galactica's _lovely too." Serina paused, using one of the tactics she learned from her journalism days. "Cally, you might not know the answer but are Captain Adama and Lieutenant Thrace..." she trailed off suggestively, "You know, they seem so close."

Cally caught on, "Apollo and Starbuck? No, no, they're just friends."

Well, that comforted Serina a little, but it wasn't exactly the answer she had been looking for. "Really? It's just, they seem like they're more then that. They're both pretty attractive people, though, they have to be seeing someone if not each other, right?" That question wasn't as "smooth" as the last, but she was trying to ask if Lee was single without making it sound like that was what she wanted to know.

"I'm pretty sure they're both single," Cally said. _Bingo! _She hadn't cared about Starbuck's relationship status, but Lee's she did. Oh, now Serina felt bad for using the poor young girl for information about the CAG. "But I'm not sure. I mean, pilots and deck hands don't really hang out."

Serina smiled, "Well, feel free to hang out with me anytime, Cally."

The girls eyes widened. "Really? Thanks!" Serina said goodbye to the young deckhand and headed back to her assigned duty locker.

* * *

**Spotlight's Borrowed Viper Mark II—**

Serina was in her borrowed Viper. She had left her Mark VII back on the Galactica and was not too happy about it. The Mark II was okay, but she liked her Viper better. It was a beautiful piece of machine, and had gotten her out of trouble quite a few times.

That was kind of sad, Serina supposed. She has only been a pilot for a month and she had seen more combat then some pilots (during the era of peace) had seen in their lifetime.

She was flying another CAP with Lee this time (who had this own Viper Mark VII, which made Serina pout like a child who didn't get the toy she wanted). Honey and another pilot with the callsign Beehive were flying a CAP as well, but the two pairs were flying in different "orbits" around the fleet.

Lee was leading and Serina was his wingman. "Break on my mark," his voice said into her ear. They were approaching a window, the window of the observation deck. "Mark."

They broke. "I wonder what that looks like," Serina admitted as they remused flying around the fleet. "People really pay to watch that? Do _we_ get any profits?"

"Sadly, no," Lee answered. "You should see what Starbuck does."

"I don't have any money," Serina stated. "It's all back on the Night Flight."

"Then I'll take you."

Serina grinned. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Lee paused. "...Do you want me to ask you out?"

Serina chuckled, "Smooth, but I was a reporter, I know all the tricks." Serina decided that she'd make the first move, "Yes, Lee, I want you to ask me out."

He chuckled too. "Fine. Serina, will you go out with me?"

"I'd love to."

* * *

_Day 33_

_I have a date with Lee Adama in twenty minutes. I have to admit: I'm excited. I'll write more later, I've got to ready._

* * *

Serina wore a pair of jeans and a top she had borrowed from a woman in the same duty locker as her called Lucky. The camisole top was sea-green with  
ruffles and frilled sweet-heart neckline spaghetti straps. She kept her dog tags on and pulled her hair into a high pony tail. "Have fun," said Honey while she and Skulls played a card game.

Serina met Lee just outside the observation deck. He too had left behind his uniform in favor of a more casual look. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she smiled. They were standing in the midst of other couples who were waiting for their turn. "Is Starbuck flying today?"

"Yep," he replied. "It's supposed to be quite a show." The bulkhead was opened and the group came out. Then Serina and Lee's group entered. The two sat in front of the window, sitting with their legs pressed together.

The room was dark apart from the light of the stars coming in from the window. The other pairs—the other _couples_ continued whatever conversations that had been having, but kept their voices low. The sounds were no louder then a mummer in the space of the observation deck. Serina relaxed back into her seat next to Lee.

"So talk to me, Lee," she said as they looked out at the stars, waiting for the Vipers to arrive. "Tell me about yourself."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, Lee," she searched for a question. "Are you an only child?"

He was silent for a minute, and Serina found herself regretting asking that question. "No," he finally answered. "I had a brother named Zak."

"Had?" Serina knew that _that _meant his brother had died, but she was curious as to how.

"He, um... he was killed in a flying accident. He shouldn't have been in a plane in the first place." Lee was looking into her eyes during that moment as he talked about his brother. His eyes were so soulful, and his emotions were open to her as he talked. He missed his brother from the look in this eyes.

Serina nodded. "I understand. I have... _had_ two brothers of my own. Nick and Robert. Nick ran away a few days after my mom died and we never saw him again. Robert died in the Fall."

"How did your mother die?"

"She got sick," Serina explained. "Really sick. She held on for a while. Long enough to see me off to college and her oldest son, Robert, get married."

"My mom probably died in the Fall," Lee admitted. "I never got to say goodbye..."

"Were you closer to your mom?"

He nodded, "My parents got divorced when I was eight. My mom raised me and Zak. We saw our dad occasionally, but not very often."

"My dad died in a car accident when I was nine. My aunt says their marriage was on the rocks though. She says mom cheated on him." She sighed deeply, "Wow, this is getting a little depressing."

Lee agreed. He turned and pointed out the window, "Here they come."

Serina turned too just in time to see Starbuck—she assumed it was Starbuck because it was the only Viper showing off—preform a perfect Caprican Eight followed by a loop. "Nice," Serina whistled. "That's some fancy flying, but I think _we_ could do much better."

He smiled, "Really? Don't let her hear you say that. It'll become a contest."

"Starbuck could stand to learn to loose every now and again," she shrugged. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "Thank you for bringing me to see this, Lee."  
Serina looked out at the stars, "It's beautiful."

If Serina had looked she would've noticed that when Lee said, "Yes, yes it is," she would've noticed that he was not looking at the stars, but at her face instead.

* * *

"Well, thanks for walking me back," Serina said when they arrived outside the bulkhead—on the other side was the duty locker she was staying in. "And thanks, again, for taking me to see that. It was really nice you of."

"Don't mention it," he said, followed by silence. The two stared at each other and an awkward air returned. "Goodnight," he added.

She smiled, "No kiss?" He smiled back, as if she'd just relieved the tension. Serina supposed she had. She had been wondering if they were going to kiss, and had finally decided to ask.

Lee stepped close to her and she stepped closer to him. Their lips were inches apart and then there was no space between them at all. They parted after a moment. "Goodnight, Serina," Lee repeated.

"Goodnight, Lee. See you tomorrow."

"You're blushing," Honey noted when Serina entered the duty locker. Her lips were tingling from the kiss she had shared with Lee. It had been brief—way to brief for Serina's liking—but she'd loved it.

She nodded in response. "Uh huh," she bit her lip. "It was very nice." She looked around, "Hey, where'd Skulls go?"

"CAP duty. Come on, Serina, tell all about it."

Serina sat on her bunk. She removed her shoes and socks. "We talked about our families," she said. She stood and pulled off her shirt. When she'd first become a pilot she'd been self-conscious, but had to get over it. She put the shirt back in the locker Lucky used. "We talked about how we became pilots. College. That sort of stuff."

Honey was smiling. "And?" she prompted.

"He kissed me," Serina confessed. "It was really... sweet. Tingly, you know?"

"Mmhm. Well, it sounds like you had a good time."

"I did," Serina confirmed with a smile, bitting her lower lip. "I really did."

* * *

_Day 33 — second entry_

_My date with Lee was wonderful. Truly wonderful. It was sweet. We watched the stars and talked about our lives. He, without even realizing it, got me to talk about my brothers._

_I don't talk about Robert. I still think about him, I mean it has only been a month but still... It hurts to think about all that I've lost. And forget Nick, I haven't talked about him in about five years. Not since he ran off._

_Auntie Irene and I talk about mom sometimes, and Uncle Matt will tell me stories about dad every now and again, but, outside family, I don't really talk about the people I've lost._

_With Lee it's different, though. He makes me feel comfortable telling these stories. I think, partly, because I want to know more about him, and he seems like the type to share if shared with. I want to know more about him because I really like him._

* * *

The hallway Serina was standing in was covered in photos. Photos of people who had died during the Fall of the Colonies, and officers that had died during different confrontations with the Cylons. There was nothing like this on the _Night Flight_. Serina decided she'd suggest the idea to her aunt and gods-father when she returned.

"Where's your brother?" Serina asked when she spotted Lee out of the corner of her eye.

"Zak? He's not up there," he said.

Serina turned to him, "Why not?"

"I don't have any pictures of him," Lee admitted. "Kara and my father do..."

"I only have one picture of my brothers left," she shared. Serina grinned and pointed to a picture of a woman laughing. "Who's that?"

"Bell," he replied. "She was a hell of a boxer."

"She looks so happy," Serina said. "If I end up on one of these walls, I want a picture like that. Seems like a nice way to spend eternity."

"Eternity?"

"Yeah, you know: all this has happened before, and all of it will happen again. Cycle of Time, the Sacred Scrolls? I read those in the sixth grade. You don't believe in that?"

Lee replied, "I believe that I make my own destiny. I'm not some actor playing a part."

Serina nodded in agreement. "I get that. I do. I hate the idea that I don't have any control over my fate. I mean, it's my life. I get to decide what I do with it. No Scared Scroll is going to tell me what I have to do."

"Exactly," Lee agreed. They turned back to the the memorial wall to look at the faces in a peaceful silence.

* * *

_Day 34_

_Two days aboard the "Galactica" and I'm already starting to feel like one of the 'gang.' Honey is pretty quick at making friends, she and Amity are alike like that. The two are sweet by nature and let anyone in. I make acquaintances just as easily, but I don't really count them as my friends. _

_I've been spending most of my time with Lee, Starbuck, and Honey. Things are a lot less awkward between Lee and I when someone else is around to break through the tension. I don't know what's wrong with me. Being around him just sort of... throws me off, I don't know how to describe it... _

_There's also another issue at hand. It's trying to be kept on the down-low right now, but it's quickly getting out there. We're running low on fuel. Fast. Right now we only have enough fuel for a few more jumps. I don't know how many. _

_Raptors are being sent out to look for sources. I hope they'd find some. It'd be horrible to come all this way and have to give up so soon. Who knows if we'd be able to find a planet to inhabit? There's no telling what will happen if we run out. The Cylons will kill us off, probably, unless we die first._

* * *

**The Hanger Deck, _Galactica_—**

There was a Cylon Raider on _Galactica's _hanger deck. A Cylon Raider. Aboard _Galactica_. Right in front of her. Serina was having trouble processing this fact as she stood in front of the Raider, exactly like the ones that had shot at her and exactly like the ones she had shot down. She reached out and touched the cool metal. "Gods, how did you get this, again?"

"It's one of Kara's _souvenirs_," Lee informed her. "She brought it back with her after she went missing on a moon after a fight with the Cylons."

"She can _fly_ this thing?" Serina asked, amazed. "Gods, I wonder what that must be like."

"Smelly," Starbuck said as she joined Lee and Serina in front of the Raider. "It's pretty gross, actually."

Serina turned to her with a frown, "Gross? What are you talking about?"

Starbuck tapped on the wing of the Raider with her cane. "These things aren't just machines. They're bio-mechanical."

"Wait, so when you flew this thing back to the _Galactica__..._you we're actually _inside _it? With organs?" At Starbuck's confirmation, Serina wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh. Okay, now I understand what you meant by _gross_."

* * *

**Spotlight's Borrowed Viper Mark II—**

Lee and Serina had planned out exactly what they were going to do. It wasn't that complex, but they had decided to outdo Starbuck with their air show. They'd also recruited two other pilots to help them.

The four started by performing a basic diamond 360. "Now comes the hard part," Serina warned. "Ready?"

"Let's do this," Lee said. In unison with Lee as their leader they successfully pulled off a corkscrew maneuver and ended up a bomburst maneuver.

In a diamond formation they pulled the flight into a vertical climb. They then, after climbing for a moment, "exploded" into a burst. Lee rolled 180 degrees and the wingmen rolled 90, each going in another direction.

"Whoo! That was awesome!" Serina laughed. "I hope she saw that!"

"That was fun," Honey said.

"Alright," Lee said. "Back to your orbits everyone. Spotlight, on my wing."

The four parted ways, and Serina and Lee began to fly their path around the Fleet once again.

"You think Starbuck saw?" Serina asked.

"Oh, she saw," Lee replied confidently.

* * *

**A/N: Next up: Hand of God. I've got a lot written already, but I'm having trouble coming up with filler so it might be a while. Suggestions are welcome. Thanks for reading, everyone. **


	4. Chapter 4

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CAG's Office, _Night Flight—_**

Sheba Cain never thought she would see the day where she cried over a man. She had cried plenty of times before. She had cried when she thought Serina was dead, she had cried when the colonies had been destroyed, and her family along with them, and she cried at the end of a particularly sad soap opera when the main character turned out to be pregnant with her newly deceased lovers baby and was forced to marry a man she hated in order to 'preserve her dignity.'

She didn't cry over men though, _ever_. She didn't cry when her father died, she hadn't cried her first boyfriend cheated on her with one of her closest friends at the time, and she didn't cry during her nervous breakdown eight years ago (but that's a story for another time).

However, she was crying now. All because of Nathan Bojay and the words, "I'm breaking up with you."

"Why?" she said, as she tried to hold back the tears from her voice. It was too late to stop them from falling, and she could feel them sliding down her cheeks silently. "Why, Nathan? What happened?"

He sighed, "I can't do this, Sheba. I can't love you if it keeps getting in the way of my job."

"How's it getting in the way of your job?" she asked, "When has it gotten in the way, Nathan? What, do you think I'm using you or something?"

"No, Sheba," he sighed again, "That's no it at all. I just... things between us won't work out. Besides, we're not supposed to be together anyway. The rules—"

"Frak the rules, Nathan, _I love you__."_ Sheba was trying to stay calm, but she was quickly loosing it, growing angry with each passing second that he avoided her eyes._ "_You're not about to let rules stand in the way, are you? Nathan, _look at me_." His eyes met hers. "I'll walk away right now, if you can tell me that you don't love me too."

"Sheba—"

"No! Either you love me or you don't."

Nathan couldn't answer. He loved her. Gods, did he love Sheba, but he wasn't supposed to. Nathan liked rules, they gave him structure and something to follow. They were easy to put up with as long as you obeyed. Sheba, on the other hand, was a rule breaker. Maybe that's why he had been so attracted to her in the first place. However, he couldn't tell her that he loved her, but, at the same time, he couldn't deny it either.

"Fine," she said, after a few minutes of just staring at each other in tense silence. "Fine. I'll show you that we're supposed to be together. I'll show you, Nathan Bojay. Maybe then you'll believe me."

* * *

**The Recreation Room,**_** Galactica—**_

The President was holding a press conference about the fuel shortage. Sadly, the _Night Flight _had been low on fuel too when they had met up with the Fleet. Serina was playing Triad with Honey and a few other pilots, listening to the broadcast as they played.

"_I can assure you, the fuel shortage is our number one priority,_" she was saying. "Galactica_ and _Night Flight _have ships scouring the nearby star systems and we can anticipate that they will soon find tylium._"

"Boomer and Crashdown are still out searching, I heard," Honey said. "Bojay's been keeping me updated on the _Night Flight_," she said when Serina asked how she knew that.

The President had opened the floor to questioning, _"Hamilton?" _

_"Madame President, tylium ore is extremely rare. If we don't find any, how long before the fleet runs out of fuel?" _

_"That all depends on how well we conserve." _Serina snorted when she heard that. Politicians were good at that, giving you answers that didn't _really _answer your question. Vague things.

"_Isn't it a fact, Madam President, that we only have enough for two more jumps?" _asked another reporter, this one was obviously female from the sound of her voice. Serina applauded the girl and whoever her sources were.

"_Yes. That is correct." _

Serina turned the wireless off. "Well, nothing we don't already know," she said. She looked down at her cards and her Triad face was replaced by a wide grin, "Would you look at that? Full colors."

* * *

**The Weight Room, _Galactica_—**

Honey was working out in the weight room with latest friend, Skulls. The two were talking about their old lives back home, before everything happened. She was spotting Skulls on the weight bench when Commander Adama entered the room.

"Attention on deck!" an officer said.

"As you were," Adama said back and then approached the blonde pilot Honey remembered being called Starbuck. The woman was working out on the leg press. Honey did not believe in eavesdropping, so she turned away.

"Come on, Skulls," she encouraged. "Get it up! You can do it! I bet I could do it," she taunted. She made sure her tone was teasing.

"I'd like to see you try," he grunted as he lifted in and then lowered it back down.

Honey laughed, "Fine. I'll go next." Honey knew she couldn't bench as much weight as the other pilot, but she would take her turn anyway. "First, you have to finish. Come on, I bet you can do at least three more sets."

After the sets she helped hit put the bar backdown. They both took off some of the weights, deciding that she'd start off light and build her way up. "Okay, spot me," Honey said. She lifted the bar, brought it down to her chest, and back up again.

"More?" Skulls asked.

"More," she confirmed. She waited as he put another weight on each side. She lowered it and pushed it back up again. "This is easy. I don't know what you were complaining about."

"Just wait," he said as he put more weight on. "Okay, go." She lifted, lowered, and then set the bar back down with a breath. "Feel it yet?" he teased.

"Maybe," she replied. Honey was, in fact, starting to _feel it_, but she knew that she could bench some more. "What else you got?"

"Alright," he said. He loaded more weight yet again. "Let me know if you need help," he warned.

She nodded. Honey struggled to get the weight down and back up again steadily, without dropping it and crushing her windpipe, but she managed. "Oh, I think that's enough for me, wouldn't you say?"

Honey and Skulls looked over to Starbuck when they heard a slam. Starbuck's leg was shaking slightly.

"This was only three "g"s, Starbuck, not six," Commander Adama said. "I'm sorry, it's a tough one but you're staying home."

Skulls and Honey shared a look. It wasn't quite pity, but it was close to that. They both knew that Starbuck was, obviously, not happy about the news.

* * *

**A Hallway, _Galactica_—**

Serina was walking through the halls. The pre-flight briefing had ended over an hour ago but she was now looking for Lee. She felt that something was wrong, and was looking to ease her mind and help if she could. She stopped short however, when she noticed a man talking to himself.

"…depends upon my wild guess," she heard him say.

"What depends upon my wild guess?" she asked, curious. Even if he was talking to himself, it sounded important. And her father used to tell her that if people were speaking aloud it either meant they were crazy or were talking to someone. Since the only person around was her, Serina would give him the benefit of the doubt.

He looked up. He was pretty good looking. He wasn't Lee Adama, but he was still pretty good looking. "What? Oh, um, a game."

"A game?" she looked around, "Who's playing?"

"I am," he replied. "It's a... scavenger hunt. I'm sorry, have we met?" he quickly changed topics.

Serina shook her head, "No. I'm Lieutenant Dara from the _Night Flight_."

"Doctor Gaius Baltar," he replied as the two shook hands. He turned his head to the side, as if he were looking at someone that only he could see. He looked back at Serina and then back to the side again. "What?" he whispered.

Serina took a step back, "Okay…. So, I'll be going now." She took another step back, "See you around, Doc." Serina then got out of there. After about fifteen minutes of searching Serina found Lee in one of the ready rooms just as Starbuck was leaving.

The other woman brushed past Serina without a look, but Serina didn't mind. She had heard what had happened in the weight room and understood that Starbuck was probably seething inside. As the bulkhead door closed she asked, "What's wrong, Lee?"

He sighed and turned back to face the projection of the Cylon infested tylium ore mining facility. Serina stepped up next to him as he admitted, "Everyone thinks I can't do this." To himself, he added, "I don't think I can do this." Serina heard him anyway.

She laughed, "Lee, that has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. _I _think—no, I _know _you can do this."

Lee looked at her. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"Hell no," Serina admitted. "Do you seriously believe I'd lie to you? Do you believe that Commander Adama, your father, would let you do this if he didn't believe in you too? Trust me, Lee, I've talked to a lot of people with parents as their commanding officers, and they say that they usually end up grounded or being held back from missions like this. By sending you, your father is proving how much faith he has in you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"My mother, the mathematician, used to tell me that your brain could make all sorts of calculations. You could calculate probability and factor in all sorts of numbers into the equation, but in the end, when it came to people, it was best to just listen to your heart. My heart tells me you can do it, Lee."

He stared at her, melting her with those blue eyes. His eyes were searching hers, looking for any signs that she might be lying to them. Serina knew that he would not find any. "Well," he said, "It's good to know someone believes in me."

Serina smiled, "Good." She leaned in to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "Go, Lee. Get some sleep. We're going to need all our energy to pull this off tomorrow." As she pulled away he reached forward and pulled her back to him.

Their lips met and Serina's eyes slid closed. For a while they just stood with their lips pressed together, but then Serina felt his tongue sweep along her lower lip and she opened her mouth to his.

It was like he was pouring all his self-doubts into the kiss, trying to prove himself to her and Serina happily let him. Their tongues fought for dominance, but Serina quickly yielded to Lee who was proving himself to be quite the _god_ when it came to kissing.

One of his hands was on the back of her head and the other was on her waist, keeping her pressed against him. Serina's own hands were on his chest, fingers digging into the material of his blue uniform jacket. Their bodies were illuminated by the light of the projector, the image also being displayed on their clothes, skin, and hair, but they did not notice. All they noticed was each other.

Reluctantly, she broke away. He loosened his hold on her. "Goodnight, Lee," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Serina," he whispered back, blue eyes staring into brown. They kissed again, just a gentle pressing of their lips together and then broke apart.

* * *

_Day 36_

_Lee Adama is one hell of a kisser._

* * *

**Spotlight's Borrowed Viper, Hanger Deck, _Galactica_—**

Serina was feeling doubt creep into her. She didn't doubt Lee or the plan, but she did doubt herself. After all, she had only been a pilot for _thirty six _days. Why they were letting her go on a mission like this, she had no idea. She supposed it was partly because, like in her speech she gave Lee, her own family trusted her enough to let her go.

She just didn't know if she had the same amount of faith in herself as they seemed to.

The Vipers were launched once they were in the tubes and ready to go. Serina leaned back in her seat as she launched from the _Galactica_. Before the launch the officer in charge of launching them had said, "Give them hell," the Hotdog, the mission leader. He might not have been speaking to her, but Serina intended to do just that. Their survival was resting on the shoulders of the pilots.

Like always, Serina's heart was beating rapidly in her chest but, like always, she kept her cool. She couldn't afford to loose it now. She wondered what Lee was feeling right then. If he was as nervous as Serina was if not more so. She was betting that he was. She said a quick prayer for him in her mind and then focused.

She flew in the direction she had been told.

"Fireball, multiple bandits, left 10 high, range 40." Serina saw them. "Weapons free. Committing."

The pilots engaged the _fifty _Cylons had had been sent to fight the colonials. Sheba was probably on the _Night Flight _with the rest of the Fleet pacing and seething. The pilots of the more advanced Battlestar had wanted to be a part of the fight too.

However, it had been decided that they would stay behind and protect the Fleet in case the _Galactica _failed. Also, the Cylons didn't know about the _Night Flight _having joined up with the _Galactica _yet, and that could come in handy in the future. Although, even though they had been on the _Night Flight_, Boomer and Crashdown had rejoined the _Galactica _for this mission.

Now, parts one (being the diversion) and two of Starbuck's plan were being carried out. Soon it would be Lee's turn.

Serina fired on a Raider once she got a shot, quickly destroying it and moving onto the next. The Cylons still outnumbered them, even with the _Night Flight_. That's the plus to being machines, Serina supposes, you can always build more fighters. Now, she was doubting the plan.

"Hotdog, visual tally, press."

"Hotdog, break right."

"Fireball, your six."

Serina, guns blazing, managed to hit another one and avoid being hit herself. She heard Honey say, "Spotlight, _astern_ closing fast!"

"I see him," Serina said. She broke then rolled in the same direction. She lost a lot of speed, but it was worth it. The Raider passed, reversing their positions, and she fired. "Got him!"

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" she heard Fireball yell. "Can't eject! It's stuck!"

Serina rolled again and shot at more Raiders. There was nothing she could do but keep fighting and pray. "Spotlight, Honey, three o'clock," she called out a warning to her friend.

Deadbolt came on, "Deadbolt, Spinner, two bandits closing in, right five."

Fireball was still shouting, "No joy, no joy!" there was a scream followed by an explosion. Serina took a deep breath, prayed for the pilot, and continued. She didn't know him, but he was still a person. Every death meant something to Serina.

"_Galactica_, Hotdog. Heavily engaged, mission outcome doubtful." Serina was hoping to change that. She shot down another Cylon, determined not to die out there and not to let anyone else die either.

"I've got no visual!"

Buzzer said, "Get the frak out of there! Move, move!"

Spinner came on the radio, "Deadbolt, break vertical, now, now, now!"

Deadbolt broke, "Damn it, take the shot, get him off me!"

"Hold on, Deadbolt," Serina said. She dodged a Cylon Raider and went to help Deadbolt. As soon as she had the shot she fired and then quickly avoided a stream of fire from a Raider she had seen out of the corner of her eye at the last possible second.

Deadbolt, now safe from his own Raider, returned the favor and shot the one attacking Serina down. "Thanks," she said.

"Hotdog, Honey, break left."

Dualla's voice came on then, "Strike One, _Galactica. _Return to base. Repeat: abort your mission and return to base."

Serina was ready to do just that. She broke off her attack and high-tailed it back to _Galactica_ with the other pilots not far behind. Then, Dualla came back on and informed then to take on the Cylons again.

Serina flipped around with a move she'd learned from Sheba and fired, hitting a Cylon that had been coming straight towards her. She would have to thank the girl later. "Engaging Cylon fighters," Deadbolt reported.

"Target acquired, tone and lock," Hotdog said. After shooting down a few more, avoiding others, and trying to keep each other alive the Cylons started 'bugging out.' Hotdog requested permission to go after them.

"Strike one," Dualla came on with the reply, "Tear 'em up."

As Serina shot down the last of the Cylons with the others, her brain kept repeating: _He did it! Lee did it! I knew he could! We won! Thanks to Lee! I knew he could do it! _Serina let out a laugh, relieved.

* * *

Serina was out of her Viper and searching for Lee on the hanger deck. He wasn't hard to find, surrounded by people who were congratulating him. Serina fully intended to congratulate him as well and say the words she'd been waiting to say.

She laughed as she was sprayed with champagne and hugged Honey. She hugged pretty much anyone who looked like the wanted one. Laughing as she made her way across the hanger deck. She spotted Lee with Starbuck.

He had a cigar in his mouth and was staring at something just over the blonde's shoulder. Serina spotted the Commander. Lee tossed him a small silver object. Smiling, Serina approached. He was still looking at his father when she arrived but his attention turned to her when she wrapped an arm around his neck.

"I told you so," she whispered in his ear, pressed against his side. Aware of the fact that both Starbuck and Commander Adama were watching, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and then retreated. Finding Honey once again in the crowd.

* * *

**A/N: I watched the episode "Hand of God" as I wrote this. I also looked up fighter pilot maneuvers to help write what Serina did. My information came from Wikipedia. Thank you, Wiki.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: I covered Lee's time on the _Night Flight _very briefly. Mostly because I had no idea what to do with them. Sorry, guys, but I could've cut it out all together. I hope you like what I did write for them though. ;) **

* * *

"Welcome to the _Night Flight_," Serina said as Lee and Starbuck stepped out of the Raptor and onto the _Night Flight's _hanger deck. From where she stood she could see her Mark VII, and she was anxious to be able to fly her precious Viper again. She could also see Sheba, cussing out a deckhand. "Uh oh," she said. She wondered where Bojay was, he usually showed up and calmed her down, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't care," Sheba snapped at the poor deckhand. "Fix it. That's your job isn't it? To fix Vipers?"

"Whoa," Starbuck said. "What's her problem?"

* * *

"Lee," Serina whispered in his ear, trying to wake him from his sleep. "Wake up, Lee."

The man opened his eyes. "Serina?" he asked, bleary eyed. He sat up slightly, on his elbows, "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Nothing's wrong, but you need to wake up," she said. "I want to show you something. Get up."

"What?" he asked, confused. "Serina..."

"It'll be worth it, Lee, trust me. Get up," she tugged on the man's arm. "Get up." After a few minutes of coaxing she got Lee out of bed. "If you don't like it, I'll fly your next CAP for you."

She led Lee through the halls of the ship. "There are perks to being the Commander's gods-daughter and the Colonel's niece. I took advantage this time."

Lee grumbled something that Serina didn't catch. A few more twists and turns and up a ladder later, Serina found herself outside the bulkhead she had been searching for. "Here we are," she grinned.

She opened the bulkhead with a giddy grin and gestured for Lee to step in first. "Frak..." he said. "You guys have a pool?"

She nodded, "Uh huh. There's talk of draining it among the higher-ups. I thought it'd be a shame, and wanted to take advantage of it. Wanna go for a swim?"

"I don't have a swimsuit," he pointed out.

Serina smirked, "Neither do I." And without further ado, she stripped down to her underwear. She decided that skinny dipping would probably be a little much for the first date, and if someone stumbled upon them she wanted to conserve her dignity.

She dove in. She resurfaced with a grin. "Coming?"

He laughed and, after a moment, stripped down as well. Serina couldn't help but admire his well-toned body. Gods, the man was good-looking. He jumped in. Serina grinned and went underwater to swim towards him.

She came back up at the same time he did. She looked to the other side of the pool, back to Lee, and then back to the other side. "Race you!" Serina cried before splashing Lee in the face and swimming for the other side.

Serina was close to the wall, about to win the race, when Lee beat her there. By an inch, he won. However Serina didn't have time to focus on that, Lee distracted her.

She gasped in supprise as he grabbed her and spun them around. She was pinned to the wall of the people with Lee pressed against her front. They were both breathing heavily. They stared into each others eyes for a moment and then his lips were on hers. Bodies and lips melding together perfectly. Her legs wrapped around his waist as they kissed.

His tongue was in her mouth and she gladly let him in. Their tongues fought again, battling to be dominant. She wasn't about to give in this time, she wasn't trying to comfort him this time.

Serina gripped his shoulders, pulling him even closer. Both the water and the air was warm and seemed to heat up all around them. One of his arms went around her waist and the other slid up her side along the curve of her breast and to her neck.

They broke apart for air. "Mmm," Lee said. "Cherries." He then pulled her back in for another kiss, grinding his hips against her own. Serina takes handfuls of his hair in her hands and tugs, earning a moan from Lee. The hand on her neck dropped back down to her chest.

"We should stop," she mumbled against his lips.

He agreed, "We should," then pulled her back to him. "We could get caught," he added after breaking away again, taking in some air.

"We could," Serina nodded then pressed forward once again. "Do you want to stop?"

"Gods, no," Lee replied and then crushed his lips to Serina's own once again.

* * *

Serina was disappointed when Lee's time on the _Night Flight _came to an end, but her mood changed quickly when she was informed that she would go with the Captain and Starbuck to _Cloud Nine _to act as security for Doctor Baltar. In fact, she was flying back to the _Galactica _with Lee and Starbuck and the next day at 0512, they would be shuttled to _Cloud Nine_.

"How come you get all the cool missions nowadays?" asked Sheba. She was coming out of her depression it seemed. Well, depression by her standards. Serina did not count being angry at everything and snapping easily as _depression_. "The rest of us don't get to do anything fun."

Serina smiled at her friend, "Cheer up, Sheba. I'm sure you'll get to… I don't know, blow something up, soon enough."

"You think?"

"I know."

* * *

**Pilots Quarters****, _Galactica—_**

Serina and Lee were sitting at one of the tables in his duty locker. Serina would sleep in the spare bunk in the same duty locker that night, and the next day they'd head over to Cloud Nine along with Starbuck and Dr. Baltar.

"I'm looking forward to some sun," Serina confessed as they played a card game that, for once, wasn't Triad. Lee had just learned to play about a half hour ago and already he was winning.

"Yeah, but don't forget why we're there," Lee reminded her. "We have work to do."

Serina sighed, "Of course. How could I forget?" The bulkhead opened and Kat came in. "Hey, Kat."

"Hey, Spotlight," she nodded. "Hey, Apollo. You guys mind if I turn on the wireless?"

"Nope."

"Be my guest," Lee said. He played his hand and asked, "Did I win again?"

Serina threw down her cards and stood, "You know you won," she glared as she stripped off her first tank top. She tossed the shirt at his face.

He laughed as he pulled it off, "You know, I think like this game."

_"Frak, we're on, go, go!" _the wireless played once Kat turned it on. Serina redealt the cards as she listened.

"_Live, from Cloud 9, the most luxurious cruise ship in the fleet, it's the Colonial Gang. It's a new talk show that brings you the inside scoop on the fleet's movers and shakers. I'm James McManus, formerly of the 'Caprica Times.' With me are two of the only remaining legitimate journalists left in the universe."_

"Oh, that's offensive," Serina scoffed. "I'm still a perfectly good journalist, thank you very much."

"_Playa Palacios, veteran commentator for the 'Picon Star Tribune,' welcome. And my wing man, Sekou Hamilton, former editor of the 'Aerilon Gazette._' _As most people probably know, Cloud 9 was damaged during the Cylon attack and had to be evacuated. _

_With repairs now complete, President Roslin has picked it as the site for an historic gathering. It's the first meeting of the interim Quorum of Twelve, which will coincide with Colonial Day, the 52nd Anniversary of the signing of the Articles of Colonization. Playa, why don't you weigh in?_"

A woman's voice, one that Serina found familiar came on, "_Laura Roslin should be applauded for restoring the system of checks and balances—" _

_"Give me a fraking break! Every delegate she's chosen so far has been a Roslin cronie. It's a puppet Quorum, okay, that will rubber stamp every edict this power-mad schoolteacher will try—_"

"_How can you say that, when half the Quorum hasn't even been selected yet?" _

"_I predict, every last one will be a Roslin lackey, handpicked by the power behind the throne, Presidential advisor, Wallace Gray. Don't you see it? Gray orchestrated this whole publicity stunt—_"

"Okay, Kat, turn it off," Serina said as she drew another card. Kat did as Serina requested and turned it off just as Playa said, "_Come on, Jim. Wallace Gray is no prince of darkness._"

"Politics make my head hurt," Kat said. She watched Lee and Serina play for a minute. "Can I play?" she asked.

Serina gestured to a chair at her left, "Please do. It'll be nice if I'm not the only one loosing clothes over here."

"You're the one who suggested we play this," Lee pointed out with a smile, watching as Serina stood again to pull off her second tank top. She sat back down in only her sports bra and pants. She was well aware of the fact that Lee's eyes were freely traveling across her body.

"Yeah, but _you're _the one who suggested we play the stripping version."

* * *

**The Park, _Cloud Nine_—**

The park on Cloud Nine was gorgeous. The sun (well, _artificial_ sun) was shining down on them. It warmed Serina's skin as she titled her head back to absorb more of the light.

She was sitting on the ground next to Lee, who was leaning back on his hands, also enjoying the light from Cloud Nine's fake sun. Starbuck was walking around, checking out the place. "Ahh, I can't remember the last time I felt the sunlight on my face," Lee admitted. "It sure feels good, almost like the real thing."

"Mm," Serina agreed wordlessly.

"They could have done a better job with the horizon, though," Starbuck commented. "Security's gonna be a bitch. A thousand different places for a sniper to hide. How many people are we dealing with again?"

"Oh, 500-plus," Lee stated as he stood, grabbing his jacket and walking after Starbuck. Serina remained on the ground, perfectly content to enjoy her time in the sun while it lasted. She did keep her attention on their conversation though. "Each colony is sending a delegation of leading citizens."

"Great... herds of lookie-loos, any one of whom could be a Cylon." Serina suppressed a grin as she watched Starbuck pick up a hose and hide it behind her back.

Lee had his back turned and didn't see. He continued, "But toasters aren't our only problem. Don't you pay any attention to the politics?" he turned to look at her, not noticing what was behind her back.

"No," Starbuck replied, honestly.

"A lot of unrest out there." He turned back around again and kept walking, Starbuck following behind with the hose. Serina had to strain to listen as they got further away, but she was still determined to stay in place.

Serina snorted when she heard that. _A lot _didn't even begin to define things at the moment. She listened to the wireless every now and again, and had to admit that security was going to, in fact, be a 'bitch.' Especially with the political unrest. She wasn't particularly worried about Cylons.

"So why is Roslin insisting on letting so many people come?" asked Starbuck.

"Well, I guess she thinks it's important for them to be able to observe how their government works." _It's going to be disappointing, _Serina thought dryly.

"So, basically, she's already running for re-election?" They'd stopped and the moment Lee turned around she brought out the hose and pointed it at him. Her back was to Serina, but the brunette imagined that blonde was smiling.

"No… Kara—" He shouted as she sprayed him and dropped his jacket, turning to get away from her. Starbuck laughed and followed. "Kara, get off, give me that!" He pulled the hose from her hands and turned it back on her, both laughing.

Serina smiled slightly, but she recognized the feeling welling up inside her. It was a dangerous one. _Jealously_.

* * *

Serina could hear the reporter named Playa as she… well, reported. Serina watched her out of the corner of her eye wistfully. She kind of missed the job.

"The atmosphere is electric, as Quorum members arrive with their delegations. I'm outside the Cloud 9 ballroom where the reception of the new Quorum of Twelve is about to take place, but the question on everyone's mind is, will President Roslin actually shake the hand of the man many still regard as a terrorist, or will she snub him and by extension, all people of Sagittaron? "

Serina found herself wondering the answer to that question to. She got the feeling though that the President would shake his hand. She probably wouldn't like it, but she would do it.

"Starbuck, Spotlight, Apollo," Lee said, "Zarek's here."

"Copy. Don't worry, this guy's mine the second he makes a wrong move."

"Yeah, well, you'll have to beat me to him."

"What's the point?" Serina chimed in. "I'll already be there."

"Murderer! You don't belong here, Zarek, go back—" a man shouted. Serina tensed. The minute people started shouting that meant it was time to be alert.

"What did you say? He's not a murderer, he's a freedom fighter, all right?"

Lee intervened and Serina kept her focus on Baltar. "Excuse me. May I see your security pass, sir?" he asked. She could still hear their conversation through the piece in her ear.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm a citizen of Sagittaron, I've got every legal right to be here."

"Your rights don't extend to roughing people up. Lay a hand on anyone else, and you'll be getting to know _Galactica's_ brig. Well, everything's in order, enjoy your stay on _Cloud_ _Nine_."

"Oh, I will." The man walked off, leaving Lee to watch him go from where he stood on the steps. Serina did not like the sound of that.

* * *

"What the _frak _happened here?" Serina asked, taking in everything in front of her. The knocked over chairs and tables, the broken bottle, and the unconscious people. The lack of people and, most importantly, the gun pointed at some guy's face.

The session in the Quorm had been tense to say the least and afterwards Serina had trailed behind Baltar to make sure he was safe. She'd also been on the lookout for anything… out of place. Tom Zarek's words were still wringing in her head.

"_Gods forbid," _he had said, _"Anything happen to you, Madam President." _

Starbuck had gone to to the same while Lee had gone back to Colonial One with the President and her crew. Even in her reporter days Serina had no interest in politics, and this entire ordeal was reminding her why.

Serina wouldn't admit it either, but Zarek brought up a lot of good points. Restructuring their lives seemed like a good idea, but she had a feeling that Zarek might not have the best way of going about it. She had no idea though.

"Where the frak were you?" Starbuck snapped at Serina as she got to her feet, still pointing the gun at the man on the ground

"Um, watching Baltar, you know, because I was ordered to," Serina snapped back. "But believe me, if I'd known I was missing a bar fight I would've been over here in a heartbeat. What happened? Who is this?" Serina pointed to one of the men on the ground, out cold.

"That's a good question," Lee said, getting to his own feet.

* * *

Lee and Starbuck were interrogating the man from the bar. Serina had decided to sit that out and went to keep an eye on Baltar again. She didn't think the man was after Baltar, but wanted to do her job. See if she could learn anything.

She had learned that Baltar liked to talk to himself. A lot. And when he wasn't talking to himself he was either talking to reporters or hitting on women.

Now, Serina found herself at the bar. The bartender brought her a water—she would not drink while on duty—and she leaned back against the bar as she watched Dr. Baltar. Gods, the man was boring. He was hitting on that reporter, Playa, from earlier. It looked like he'd managed to do two of his favorite activities at once, and, Serina wondered, if he would find a way to work talking to himself into there too. Then he'd be doing all three.

Out of the corner of her eye Serina spotted a familiar face. She turned. _Tom Zarek_ and, from the look of it Ellen Tigh. She'd remembered the woman from earlier. She'd never actually met the Colonel's wife but she knew that face.

Zarek was standing behind the bar talking to Mrs. Tigh. What they were saying she had no idea. Sadly, she couldn't read lips, and moving closer didn't seem like a smart idea. If they saw her they might suspect something. She was wearing the uniform and all.

Serina suddenly had an idea. She stood and made her way over to Mrs. Tigh directly. She didn't try to play nonchalant or anything, she just took a direct route to the older woman. Ears alert.

"This friend of yours that you're looking for," she heard Mrs. Tigh say as she approached. "He's not in any trouble is he?"

Serina wished the had arrived earlier, and she wished she could wait and hear more but she'd already arrived at Mrs. Tigh. "You're Ellen Tigh, right?" she asked. "The Colonel is looking for you," Serina lied smoothly. She then smiled diplomatically at the two people and left as quickly as she came.

She needed to find Lee and fast.

* * *

Of course,_ fast _seemed to be too slow for Zarek. She had to congratulate the man, he worked fast. Valence was dead already. Starbuck was standing in front of him and Lee was at the foot of the stairs. Serina had just entered the supply closet turned interrogation room.

"How the hell did this happen?"

"Damn," Serina said. "He works fast."

The other two officers looked up at her, to where she stood in the middle of the staircase. "What?" Lee asked at the same time Starbuck asked, "You know who did this?"

Serina nodded slowly. She was hesitant to say "yes" but didn't want to say "no" either, both weren't exactly the truth. "Kind of. I can't be certain, but I heard Zarek talking to the Colonel's wife about a, um, _friend _of his that he was looking for. I didn't catch any names, but this seems like an awfully strange coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Starbuck said.

"I did tell Zarek we had Valence," Lee admitted. Not that he needed too, Starbuck and Serina had heard through the earpieces.

"Would Ellen Tigh know where we were keeping Valence?" Serina asked.

"Only if Colonel Tigh told her," Starbuck answered.

The three officers looked at each other. "We got to get to the President," Lee said and turned, heading back up the stairs. Serina let him pass and then followed with Starbuck right behind her.

* * *

**The President's Office, **_**Colonial**** One—**_

Serina, Lee, and Starbuck were onboard Colonial One. Dr. Baltar's interview was playing in the background. Serina had to admit that he was very smooth with words. He gave the sort of answers that really spoke the people, but almost never stated his true feelings or opinion on the matter. They never really stated absolute facts.

"His wrists were slashed with broken glass from the room," Starbuck reported.

The President's aide, who Serina had learned upon arrival was named Billy, asked, "So was it suicide, or was it murder?"

"It wasn't suicide, Zarek had him killed," the President stated, confidently.

"If only we could prove that," Lee said.

"What about what Lt. Dara heard?" the President asked. "Between Ellen Tigh and Zarek?"

"What are you saying?" Tigh snapped. "That my wife helped Zarek kill a man?"

"I'm not saying anything," the President tried to calm the Colonel. "I just think that we should consider every angle."

"He could've been talking about anyone, really," Serina added, trying to be helpful. "Like I said, I didn't hear any names."

"How'd they get past the marine guards?" Tigh asked.

"Through the vent," Lee answered.

Serina found herself listening to Baltar on the radio, "_.. I think all of us have had teachers who have made a profound impact on our lives. History—history is full of examples of leaders, um, who have come from the most humble beginnings and have risen to meet the challenge posed by cataclysmic events._"

"How many people knew where Valance was being held?" Billy asked.

"Just the people in this room, plus two marines."

"_.. Laura Roslin and the tough decisions that she has to make every day. Especially if you're someone like Tom Zarek, who's never shouldered any real responsibility, in your life. To be fair to Tom, how could he? He's been in prison for the last 20 years. Um, now he's had a drastic personality makeover. __He's posing like he is the savior to all your ills. I think you all have a short memory, really…._"

"Well, someone talked. Now, we have no assassin, no evidence of a plot. No check on Zarek, no nothing," Tigh said. It seemed he was going to ignore what Serina had heard between his wife and Zarek. Serina wondered if she was right though. Had Colonel Tigh told Ellen? And did she tell Zarek?

Lee spoke up, "If he can get to Valance, he can get to anyone. Madam President, he will definitely try and take a shot at you now."

"Only if he wins the vote."

"_What I have to say is, we- we must survive, and we will survive. And we will do so through the values that have made our colonies great. Courage, truth, justice, liberty. With the firm and deep resolve to make Tomorrow better. Not just for ourselves, but for our children,_" Baltar finished, followed by applause.

"He's good," Serina commented. She met the President's eyes.

"That he is," she agreed.

"Madam President, I still worry the vote may be turning against you," Lee said.

"Yes, it is. But I'm going to win this thing. And Tom Zarek is going back to his prison ship where he belongs. But first, I have two very unpleasant duties to perform. I need a shuttle to Cloud Nine." Serina thought she knew what the President meant by that, if they were on the same page and she could see what she meant by unpleasant.

* * *

**Pilots Quarters, _Galactica_—**

As it turns out, Serina had been right. President Roslin had switched her candidate from her friend Grey to Dr. Baltar. With his vast popularity, good-looks, and smooth talking, Serina was certain that the strange (but, undeniably, brilliant) doctor was going to win the election. It might be close, but he would certainly do better then Wallace Grey would've.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Starbuck asked while she laced her boots. "Sit on our hands and watch her get killed?"

Serina was to busy watching Lee walk by in a towel to even try to answer. Lee answered her instead. Though, Serina doubted he noticed her looking. Both Lee and Starbuck thought she was asleep. "Zarek's too smart to take another shot at the President during the summit."

Lee turned and opened the locker where his clothes were, "If he wins the vote, he can take her out later when everyone's forgotten about Valance. Just bide his time to find a better opportunity." Lee tossed away his towel and put on his pants. Serina felt like a pervert watching him through barley open eyes, but couldn't bring herself to care.

"That's great." Starbuck kept her back turned, and Serina was grateful. She doubted it was because she was giving him privacy, more because she was still working on her shoes. The blonde had probably seen her CAG naked before, but Serina didn't want it to happen again.

"Anyway, she says she's not gonna lose the vote," he continued as he pulled his pants up.

"She says a lot of things," Starbuck said as she stood and went to her own locker.

"Don't you think you should wash that?"

"I did." Starbuck wiped the jacket with a towel and then pulled it on.

"Like when, a month ago?"

"Do you have a problem with my hygiene?" the blonde asked.

"You have hygiene?" Lee asked back.

"I clean up good sometimes, all right?"

"Well, let me know when it's one of those times."

"Asshole," Starbuck remarked. She crouched in front of Serina's bunk and poked the girl. "Wake up," she said. "Spotlight, we gotta go."

"I don't wanna," Serina mumbled sleepily, as if she'd actually been sleeping. "Wake me up… _never_." She rolled over. Starbuck poked her again, "Go away!" she whined.

"Wake up," Starbuck prodded. "If you don't get up you'll have to follow Baltar around at the party."

Serina rolled out of her bunk and onto her feet, "I'm up, I'm up. Wait, did you say party?"

"Once the new Vice President is elected there's going to be a celebration," Lee informed her as he pulled on his shirts.

"What fun," Serina sighed. "A party with a bunch of politicians looking down their noses at me? I'm going back to bed. Frak it. I'll follow Baltar." Serina then climbed back into her bunk and closed her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if you were disappointed nothing more... steamy happened between Lee and Serina, but I just can't write that sort of thing. If someone else would like to feel free and I'll add it in. Other then that, hope you enjoyed. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Serina had changed into a dress, leaving her blue uniform behind. The dress she'd chosen was one of the few she had left. Once Lee had told her there would be a party afterwards she'd arranged to have one of her dresses brought over from the _Night Flight_, courtesy of her Aunt Irene, who (along with the Commander of the _Night Flight) _was coming over for the celebration. It would be the first chance reporter's got to talk to the command crew of the latest addition to the Fleet.

The dress Colonel Irene Praxis had brought over for her niece was a lavender color, ending about mid-thigh. It had an empire waistline and only one shoulder strap that had simple sliver beading on said strap. The skirt was draped and the top hugged her chest perfectly. She'd also worn a pair of shiny black heels with the dress and had pulled her hair up into a bun with a few loose strands framing her face.

The minute she arrived she began searching for Lee.

She found him with Starbuck and jealousy flared. Reframing from crossing the room, making a scene, and making a fool of herself Serina scanned the crowds for someone else. She thought about finding someone to dance with and make him jealous, but her aunt and gods-father waved her over before she could find a suitable partner.

"You look lovely," Praxis commented. "I knew that dress would look good on you."

"Thank you, auntie," Serina smiled. "Are you guys having a good time?"

"We're trying to avoid reporters," Zabat admitted as he took a sip from the glass in his hands. "They can't come inside, but the moment we leave they're bound to pounce."

Praxis rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining. It's a party, Matt. Let go."

Serina spotted Lee free of Starbuck. "Yeah, Uncle Matt,_ let go_. Have a good time. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

Praxis nodded, "Be back on the _Night Flight _by tomorrow, 0630, alright? Have a good time, sweetheart. Don't drink and fly."

Serina said goodbye and made her way over to Lee. "Wow," she said, stopping in front of him and looking over his shoulder to where Starbuck was talking to the new Vice President of the Colonies. "She cleans up nicely."

"So do you," Lee complimented. "You look amazing. Want to dance?"

Serina smiled and nodded, "I'd love to."

Lee held out his hand and Serina gladly accepted. She draped her other arm over his shoulder, hand pressed to his back. Lee put his other arm around her waist to hold her close. They stepped to the music.

"Tell me, what do you think of our new Vice President?" Serina asked as they danced.

"He's better then Zarek," Lee admitted. He glanced over her shoulder briefly and then back down again, to her eyes, "My father's watching us."

"Is he? I wouldn't be surprised. He cares about you, Lee. My family is probably watching us too."

"He asked about you."

"Your father? What'd you tell him?"

"I told him that you were a good pilot," Lee revealed, knowing that it wasn't what she wanted to hear. At her glare he added, "I also told him that you were a good friend, but I don't think he believed me."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because I don't think of you a just a friend," he told her, "And I think he could tell." He leaned closer, their noses almost touching, "It doesn't help that I really want to kiss you right now."

Serina breathed as they continued to sway, "No, I don't imagine it does."

Then, in front of anybody who looked to see, Serina and Lee kissed. It was briefer then their last two kisses had been, considering the fact that they were in public and they were still dancing too. They pulled apart. "Mm," Serina smiled, "Think they saw us?"

"Probably," Lee replied, "We'll know by tomorrow," and then moved back in for another kiss.

* * *

**Commander Zabat's Quarters, _Night Flight_—**

"We're leaving the Fleet?" Serina's first thought was not: why? And it was not: when? Rather it was: can we bring Lee? However, she made sure that the first words out of her mouth were the first instead. "But why? What's going on?"

Commander Zabat answered her, "As it turns out, we left something behind. Something we need to go back for."

"Go back where? What'd we forget?" Serina asked, desperately trying to make sense of the situation that was growing more confusing with each passing second. "Someone tell me what's going on!"

Colonel Praxis sighed, "Calm down, Serina." She waited for a moment as Serina did as she was told, taking long breaths through her nose. "Now, as you are aware, the Night Flight stopped at a lot of places before joining the Fleet.

One of those places, and you should remember this it's where you fought those Cylons and almost died. One those those places was a planet covered in rock. Our scientist took samples of the rock to study and then we left, not wanting to risk fighting any more Cylons."

"And?" Serina asked.

"And," Zabat continued. "We found out eighteen hours ago that the rocks we took are rich in all sorts of materials that we could use and need-"

"Depending on where the rock came from. Each sample is different depending on the location they were taken from."

"-and so, Commander Adama and I had decided that the Night Flight and the - will go back to his planet and retrieve these materials."

Serina took a deep breath, fighting back tears. She didn't want to leave Lee, but if she had to then she supposed she would have to. "When do we leave?"

Praxis and Zabat shared a look. "We leave," Praxis replied, "In two hours. You are staying here, Serina. We're having you temporally transferred to the Galactica."

"What?" she gasped. "No... You guys can't go without me! Where... when... Why? Why am I staying behind?"

"We almost lost you the last time," Praxis whispered. "We're not going to put you back in that situation. If the Cylons are there we'd feel better if you weren't."

Serina snapped, "If the Cylons are there I'd feel better if I were there."

"There's no room for argument," Zabat stated firmly and finally. "You're staying behind, Serina. You've been transferred. You're to report to Captain Adama by 0830. Dismissed."

Serina could feel tears escaping her eyes. She wiped them and straightened. "Of course." She then saluted and spun around and stalked out. That had hurt, the words: dismissed. As if she were just any other officer.

* * *

_Day 50 _

_The Night Flight has jumped away, leaving me behind. I guess I can understand why they (Uncle Matt and Auntie Irene) don't want me to go. I'm the last of the Dara's, the last link they have to my parents. Their respective friends and siblings. They don't want to loose me... but I don't want to loose them either. Once they're gone I'll have no family left. _

_I'll have Sheba, unless she dies on the mission two. The Cylons may or may not be there, but there's no telling really. I'd miss her just as much as Auntie Irene and Uncle Matt. Sheba's like my sister, we've been together since before I joined the Night Flight. Before the Fall of the Colonies and before I became a pilot. Hell, we knew each other before she became a pilot._

_If I loose any of them, I don't know how I'll cope. _

* * *

**A hallway, _Galactica—_**_  
_

"Hey, Starbuck," Serina said, smiling. "On your way to the rec room too? Hey! No cane?"

Starbuck smiled back, "Nope, I'm all better now. Hey, I heard about the _Night Flight_. Why didn't you go with them?"

"Want to get rid of me so soon, Starbuck?" Serina joked. "Sorry, you're stuck with me. I got posted here. Something about me and danger not being the best of friends. But, lucky you, now we get to spend some time together."

"Lucky me," the other girl laughed. The two entered the rec room together. Serina saw Lee the instant she entered and couldn't help but smile some more. The man had her smitten, that was certain. Gaeta, Dualla, Crashdown, and Lee seemed to be in the middle of a card game.

"What, there's a card game and no one told me?" Starbuck asked.

"I know, right," Serina added.

"She's back on her feet, ladies and gentlemen!" Crashdown announced. Dr. Baltar sat up slowly, staring at Starbuck. Things were suddenly very silent, the only other sound being the 'clink' of cubits.

"How are you feeling?" Lee asked. At the same time Starbuck said, "Hey, Gaius."

Serina wondered when they ended up on a first name basis. She turned to Lee and replied, "Good."

"Mr. Vice President, if you don't mind, Lt. Thrace," Dr. Baltar snapped. "Some level of decorum has to be maintained, after all or is it a pirate ship you're running?"

"No, just a Battlestar, sir," Starbuck replied dryly.

"Right, let's play," Gaeta said, trying to change the topic. Apparently, like Serina (and probably every one else in the room) the young man could sense the tense atmosphere and was trying to break it.

Dr. Baltar was still looking at Starbuck, Serina noticed, with an odd look in his eyes. "Would you like to play? Maybe you'd like to sit next to Captain Adama." Baltar switched his weird glare-stare look to Lee.

"Sure, Kara. Why don't you pull up a pew?"

"No that's okay, Lee," she said, staring back at Baltar. "I've got things to do." The other woman turned and left.

"Nothings wild, here we go," Gaeta said, still trying to get the game started. Both Lee and Serina watched Starbuck leave and then looked back to Baltar. They were both thinking the same thing: _something happened between them_.

Serina stepped closer to Lee, leaning over the back of his chair and over one of his shoulders. "How much have you lost?" she asked him.

"A lot," he admitted, looking up at her. "I think Vice President Baltar over there is cheating. He's pretty good at this."

"Mm," she nodded. "Then, allow me to rescue you, hmm?" she smiled. Before she could stop herself, and not that she wanted to. She leaned in and kissed him. It didn't matter anyway, anyone who hadn't seen them kiss at the celebration would've heard about it eventually.

Lee kissed her back. "Gods, you get all of them, don't you?" she heard Dr. Baltar asked. They pulled apart and looked at the Vice President, confusion on both their faces. After a long moment filled with awkward staring he said, "The cards. You get… all the cards."

"You're the one with all the cards," Lee pointed out. "You keep wining."

"Right, right," he said. "Well… nevermind then."

Serina leaned down and whispered into Lee's ear, "He's drunk out of his mind, isn't he?"

"He's been at it since we started playing," Lee whispered back. He stood and to the ground said, "Alright, I'm out. I'll see you guys later." The two said their goodbyes and then left the rec room.

Once in the corridor, they walked for a while, not really knowing where they were going. Suddenly, Serina stopped him. She pushed him back against the wall, catching him by surprise. "Okay, talk, Lee," she demanded. "What the hell happened to your _face_?"

Lee looked puzzled for a moment, "What, this? Nothing. I was just sparing with my father."

"Sparing?" she asked, sarcastically. "Really? Well, you two need to take it easy then."

"Why?" he smirked. "Then you can't play doctor."

Serina chuckled. "Oh, right." She leaned forward and placed a tender kiss below his eye and then another one near his hairline and another on his jaw. "Better?"

He shook his head, "I think I need a stronger dose, doc." He put one hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. Serina opened her mouth to Lee and he deepened the kiss, pressing his lips against her own harder then before. Their tongues are hot as they collide and Serina titled her head slightly to deepen the kiss even more, if possible.

"Mm, Lee," she says against his lips. "Maybe we should take this," she has to pause for a minute as he kisses her again. "Mmm... elsewhere." Lee agreed.

* * *

**A shower stall, the Head, _Galactica—_**

Serina had followed Lee to the hanger deck a while after he left to go find Starbuck. She had gotten the feeling that's where they'd be. She also had known that something was wrong between the two of them, and Baltar as well. Sure enough, she had found them there. She stayed where they couldn't see her, she hadn't meant to listen in, but something had told her she wasn't supposed to intrude. She had heard their conversation.

"You want something from me?" Starbuck asked Lee. Her back had been turned to him while she did something to her Raider. Serina hadn't see what from where she was standing, hiding in the shadows, but she had seen that the blonde pilot was angry.

"Not a thing," Lee had said. He had been, quite obviously, angry too.

"'Cause I don't owe you anything," Starbuck had continued.

"No, you don't owe me anything," Lee repeated. "Because I'm just a CAG and you're just a pilot."

"Right."

"A pilot who can't keep her pants on!"

Starbuck had looked up at that but had not turned around. "Right," she had said again.

"Oh, it is just like old times, Kara. Like when you got drunk and you couldn't keep your hands off that major from wherever—" Lee was cut off when Starbuck spun around and punched him.

Serina hadn't thought the blonde made contact, but Lee sure did. He had punched her in the face and she had stumbled backward, slamming into a cart, hands going up to her face. "Gods," she had groaned, leaning down on her knees as she recovered from the hit.

Starbuck then turned and had walked back to the front of her Raider. Lee had followed, asking, "Why'd you do it, Kara? Just tell me why."

Starbuck had kept walking, "'Cause I'm a screw-up, Lee, try and keep that in mind." Serina had chosen that moment to leave. She had walked back to her duty locker, but changed her mind and went to the head.

Now, she stood underneath the spray of water, trying to sort through their conversation. She was trying to figure out what it meant about her relationship with Lee meant. _Was it just me, _she thought_, or did we really have something going there? __Does he like me? Does he like her? Does he return my feelings? _Serina groaned and leaned her head against the wall of the shower.

Frak, she didn't know.

"Are you okay, in there?" asked a concerned voice. "Do you need help?"

"No," Serina sighed. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

She wasn't fine, she was worried. Worried that Lee didn't feel the same way about her. She wasn't sure, but she was almost certain that she was falling in love with him. If he didn't feel the same... if he loved Starbuck... Serina didn't know what she would do. She truly didn't know. The thought of loosing Lee, even to another woman, hurt just as much as the thought of his dying or of her aunt dying or her uncle or Sheba.

"Frak," she sighed again.

* * *

Kobol: everyone was talking about it. Serina couldn't go anywhere without hearing about it. Even Lee was talking about it. Of course, she was listening to him give her a set of orders and it occurred to her that she had been to busy sulking to hear him.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"I said, I'm assigning you to the survey party," Lee repeated.

Serina frowned, "Why? I'm no scientist and they've already got a Raptor pilot."

He sighed, exasperated, "It's a survey party, Serina. Just go down there, look around, and come back. Okay?"

Serina's frown deepened, "Fine. Sure. Whatever you want, Captain." She then spun around and left, making her way towards the hanger deck to board a Raptor so she could go to the planet. All the while, she was fuming about Lee.

A hand closed around her arm and she found herself being pulled backwards and pushed up against a bulkhead. "What the frak is your problem, Serina?" Lee asked, glaring at her. He'd followed her out into the hall, but she hadn't noticed.

"I don't have a problem."

"Obviously, you do," Lee countered. "What is it?"

She pulled away from him. "You really want to talk about my problems? Fine! You're in love with Starbuck, which makes me a little jealous 'cause I really thought we had something going on here Lee."

He looked shocked, "What? Serina, I'm not in love with Kara_._"

"But that's the thing, Lee. _You are_. You're both in love but you don't see it," Serina tried to keep from crying. "I can't believe I didn't see it." She sighed, "Lee, I really like you. I mean, _I really like you, _but if you don't feel the same way then I don't wanna waste my time chasing something that will never be." She stared at those blue eyes, "Figure out what, well... _who _it is you want, Lee."

She spun around again and made a hasty retreat. Lee didn't follow this time, but he stared after her in a confused silence. Serina wiped a few tears that had escaped from her cheeks and attempted to pull herself together. She continued to make her way to the hanger deck to board _Raptor One _with the rest of the survey party. The wanted to be off the _Galactica _as soon as possible and away from Lee. She didn't want to see it, if he chose _Kara Thrace_.

"Hey, Chief," she smiled a little upon seeing the man she'd only seen a few times since her arrival. She'd usually only seen him when climbing in or out of a Viper before heading off for CAP duty. "You're going down there too?"

"Yeah."

"Hi, Spotlight!" Cally chirped happily. Serina smiled back at the young girl.

The three climbed into a Raptor together. Dr. Baltar was inside already. Serina didn't say anything to him. As far as she was concerned, he was a part of her whole situation right now. So she kept silent and took her seat in the Raptor.

All three Raptors had taken off the pilots were prepping for the F.T.L. jump. "I say we find Kobol, we count our blessings and stay there," one of the Raptor pilots said over the radio.

"Yeah, but the sacred scrolls tell us that this could guide us to Earth, right, l-t?" the other Raptor pilot asked.

"Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, cut the chatter. Raptors two and three, on me…"

"F.T.L. spun up and ready," Crashdown reported. He turned to Cally and playfully said, "Cally, hold onto your lunch." Cally mock-saluted him with an amused smile and an eye roll. "Jump in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…" They jumped. Serina lurched slightly in her seat.

"Jump complete, gentlemen," an ECO said in one of the other Raptors, heard over the radio. "Bring the nose down, we should see the planet directly ahead."

"What the hell is that?" they heard, shouted over the radio suddenly. "Oh my gods!"

"Oh my gods," Serina mirrored with a gasp. "Raiders!" The Raptor's DRADIS was going crazy, beeping quickly and rapidly as it detected Cylons. _Gods, there must be _**_hundreds_**_, _Serina thought in horror. If she were in the Viper she might feel safer, in control. She would be able to defend herself and fight, but not now: in the Raptor.

"They're everywhere—" Crash shouted.

"Get us out of here!" Chief Tyrol demanded. The Raptors both weaved in and out of Cylon fire to the best of their ability. Serina's Raptor, however, was hit.

"We got a fire in the turbine," Crash reported.

"Shutting it down!" the pilot said.

Suddenly, Baltar was shouting, "Pilot down, pilot down!"

Serina took that as her call to action. "Get out of my way," she said, pushing through the people. "Move! Come on, doc, out of the way! Get up!" she screamed at him. Baltar stood and pushed past her, and she pushed herself into the seat next to the dead pilot.

"Everybody hang on,_ everybody hang on_!"

"Can you jump us out?" the Chief asked her.

"No, the drive's been hit," she told him. She was breathing the same way she did during battle, trying to keep her cool. The lives of the people in the Raptor, including her own, were in her hands. She had to calm down.

"Crash! I need you to get on the horn now and tell _Raptor Two_ to jump back to _Galactica_! Like, right now!" Tyrol commanded.

"Jump back to _Galactica_," Crash repeated into the 'horn.' Everyone was screaming and panicking, shouting. Especially Dr. Baltar.

"Someone knock him out!" Serina ordered. "Please! Shut him up!"

"Jump back to _Galactica_, over. You are ordered to jump back to _Galactica_." Serina saw _Raptor Two _disappear on the DRADIS.

"Please, someone hit him!" she shouted again as she tried to control the Raptor that was falling towards the planet.

"Calm down!" Cally was shouting at the Doctor who was shouting something back at her Serina couldn't make out over all the noise.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tyrol asked her.

"Oh, God!" Baltar shouted.

"Hang on, hang on!"

Serina watched with nervous apprehension as the window began to crack. "Uh oh. Everybody hit the deck!" she screamed and then ducked down. Everyone else joined in as the glass shattered. The wind was speeding through the the Raptor, blinding Serina as they made their descent. "I can't see," she warned.

She vaguely saw clouds and the wind screamed past them, whistling loudly in their ears as she Raptor sped downwards. "Pull it up!" Chief shouted. "Pull it up!" Cally's screaming was the loudest. "Watch the hill! Watch it!"

"Oh, gods!" she steered the shuttle to the left just in time to avoid a collision with a _mountain_. "Thanks, Chief! Keep watching!" She shouted. Her eyes still stung, but she was able to make out some shapes. The Chief was also helping, and she appreciated it.

The last of the clouds ended and all Serina saw was green. Lots of green. She tried to pull up and slow their descent, but they were going too fast. "We're going down!" she shouted back to everyone. "Hold on!" The most she could do now is try to get them down somewhere that wasn't inside a mountain.

"Lords of Kobol hear my prayer..."


	7. Chapter 7

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

******Raptor One Crash Site, _Kobol__—_**

The Raptor had gone down and was now on fire. Serina was working on getting everyone out of the Raptor before it blew up. Her face had a small cut on it, at her hairline, that was bleeding and there was another at her cheek. She ignored the pain.

"Everyone! Come on! Come on, move!" Crash shouted. "Come on, go, go, go! Come on, move! Out, come on!"

"Come on, people, we have to get out of here," Serina shouted too. "Move, move, come on!"

"Everybody up! Cally, up, up, move!" Tyrol contributed. "Get him out of the chair, drag him out! Look at me! I got him!"

They were all shouting over each other but it didn't matter, as long as they got everyone who was still alive out of the Raptor. "For Gods' sakes, hurry! Come on!" Crash bellowed.

Tyrol handed someone (Serina couldn't tell who it was) up to Crash. "I got his legs. I got him!"

"Try it on your shoulder! On your shoulder!"

There was a scream. Serina turned back to the Raptor. As mad as she had been at the doctor before, she couldn't leave him behind. "Crash, get the doctor!" she yelled as she tried to help the others out and away from the Raptor.

Crash turned back, already going to do just that. Serina could hear them, vaguely, but she focused on getting the people away from the Raptor before they died in the explosion. "We have to move, people, come on."

"Get down, get down!" Crash tackled Baltar, who he had managed to get out of the Raptor, to the ground. The Raptor exploded. Serina covered her ears with a cry, falling to the ground as she was hit with a shock wave.

"Stay down, you guys, stay down, stay down!" Tyrol said. "L.T. You okay?" He called over to Crash. "I think that's both tanks. Let's see what we got, get them now!"

Crash and Baltar got back on their feet. "Is everyone alright?" Serina asked, getting back onto her feet as well. "We got to get the supplies!"

Cally asked the Chief, "You all right? You okay?"

"Get the supplies before they burn up—go, go!" Tyrol ordered as a reply.

"Right away," Cally nodded.

"We crashed both tanks," Serina heard someone say. "The gas is gone. It's all gone." As the Raptor party hurried around, trying to salvage any and everything they could, Serina noticed out of the corner of her eye Dr. Baltar was wandering off. She'd find him later, at the moment, she had to help salvage.

* * *

Serina did not know what to do. She hadn't trained for this sort of things—reporters aren't expected to wind up on planets that were only rumored before and never actually found. Reporters weren't supposed to wind up Viper pilots.

However, she was the second highest ranking individual there. Crash was a lieutenant which put him in command. Serina was only a _junior grade _lieutenant, so she'd had to follow Crash's orders just like the rest of lower ranking officers. She'd try to help as much as she could though. Serina was just going to have to figure it out along the way.

Either that or die, and let the other officers (and the Vice President of the Colonies) die as well. She touched the dog tags she'd thrown around her neck before evacuating the plane. After staring at the dead pilot in shock she'd ripped them from his neck and put the tags around her own. If he had any family left, she was going to make sure they got them.

She was going to take what was left of the fallen officer home, and she was going to find a way to make sure that those still living got home as well. The way she saw it, she had no other choice. She pulled herself to her feet, determined.

Serina began looking for Crash. "Crash!" she shouted, upon spotting the man. "What've we got?" she asked, making her way towards the pale man where he stood with Chief Tyrol, fiddling with the radio.

Crash looked around at the wreckage and at the people around him, "Socinus is down, he's not doin' so good. The radio's not working either." He reported to her.

Serina noticed Chief Tyrol was wounded. "You alright there, Chief?"

"Fine," he replied. He then asked, "Lieutenant… shouldn't we be moving out? I mean… do you have a plan for tactical deployment or…?"

Crash answered, "Plan for tactical deployment, Chief? Get to the high ground, it'll be our best chance of being seen by a search party."

"It's also our best chance of being seen by the Cylons," Serina pointed out.

"They're flying around, sir, they might land troops before we get rescued," Tyrol added.

"That's true," Crash admitted.

"Yeah. Sir, if I may suggest that we take cover on the ground? Maybe somewhere where we won't be seen from the air?" Tyrol said.

Serina nodded, "That's a good plan, Chief. I say we head for the trees, try to find somewhere to hide, but still keep the upper hand. As long as the Cylons can't find us we should be relativity safe." She looked over at Crash and added, "Sir."

"Okay, yeah, Chief, that's…" he sighed. "Carry on, Chief." They both watched as he walked off, kicking at some of the Raptor debris as he went before disappearing on the other side of the burnt bird.

Chief scratched his head. Serina turned to him, "We should start rounding everyone up and gathering supplies. We want to move before sunset, whenever that may happen on this world."

He nodded in agreement. "Right away."

* * *

The packing was uneventful. Serina had asked Tarn to keep a look out while they packed up and got ready to move out. Crash had returned with the radio. "I can't get a thing," he said.

"There's probably know one out there," Serina admitted. "Not yet, at least. They'll have to take care of that Basestar before trying to rescue us. Come on, we're packing up." The brunette paused and looked around, "Where'd the doc go?"

"He's over there," Cally said, "By the ruins. I think he passed out, sir."

Serina wouldn't have been surprised if he had. Seelix and Tyrol were working on getting Socinus onto a stretcher. "We ready?" Serina asked, pulling her backpack onto her back.

The team set off towards where Baltar was. Cally walked through the grass and onto the ruins to wake him. Tyrol and Seelix set Socinus down on a bed of rock and Seelix worked on helping the badly injured man. Serina blinked against the sun, eyes hurting in the light.

"This is Serisone, it should help you breathe a little easier," she informed him and then injected him with the drug. He coughed and wheezed. Gods, he sounded bad.

"Here, just take it easy," Tyrol said in a soothing manner, leaning down over the deckhand, "You'll be feeling better in a few minutes."

"Excuse me, sir." She moved past Tyrol and to Socinus. "We've got to get you up," Seelix said. He wheezed something back and she replied with, "I know."

"If you don't mind my asking, where are we going, Crashdown?" Baltar asked as he pulled on his jacket. Crash was looking through a set of binoculars, still holding the radio in one hand, at their decided destination.

"Tree line," he answered, "We can hide," he lowered the binoculars and went back to the radio, "Still see the crash site in case Galactica sends a rescue party."

"_Galactica _will be sending a rescue party," he said nodding. Serina supposed that he was assuming because he was the Vice and all that they'd be scrambling there to get him. She rolled her eyes, but then jumped as they heard an explosion. A boom… a sonic boom.

"Everybody down!" Crash shouted and they all did just that.

"What was that?" Cally asked.

"That Cylons?" Seelix asked.

Serina nodded, "That was a sonic boom," she said. "I've heard those before. There's no way _Galactica's _here already. That must be them."

"Maybe. Seelix, grab the ammo. Staggered formation, I'll take point. Chief, you're bringing up the rear. Be ready to tell the private, people." Everyone started to get up, grab their stuff, and follow Crash through the tall browning grass.

"El-tee? I think we should double-check the supplies before we bug out," Tyrol said.

"Sorry, Chief, we don't have the time. If that's an aircraft turbine, they're gonna be on us any moment."

"El-tee, we gotta make sure we have everything!"

"We don't have the time, Chief!"

Serina chose that moment to jump in. "The Chief is right Crash—"

"We don't have the time!" he practically roared.

Serina and the Chief both sighed. "Damn it!" Tyrol said. "Gods, damn it!"

* * *

The group made to the tree line and then continued into the forest, looking for a place they could use to hide and maybe set up camp. Serina predicted that the _Galactica _would come for them, but she had no idea when. They'd have to come up with a plan first. Maybe another one of Starbuck's crazy plans.

Her heart twinged at the thought of the blonde pilot. That thought led to Lee. She wondered if he was worried about her. Maybe he'd taken the opportunity to admit his feelings to Starbuck not that she was gone.

Serina mentally slapped herself. _Now's not the time_, she thought. She could pity herself later, at the moment she needed to focus on surviving and keeping everyone else alive too.

"Watch your foot," Crash said up ahead. Serina was following Baltar, and the Chief was behind her. The doctor kept looking around with wide eyes. Serina thought he was in some sort of shock. Thankfully, the man hadn't complained once. He'd been oddly silent. "Everyone take five."

Tarn and Seelix lowered the stretcher to the ground. Seelix removed her backpack. Cally and Baltar sat down in the ferns. Serina, Crash, and Tyrol kept standing, searching the area with their eyes for any sign of the Cylons. Serina was certain the sound had been a sonic boom, which meant the Cylons were now on the planet somewhere.

That meant, the remains of the _Raptor One _landing party would have to be on the lookout.

"Give me the med kit," Seelix said after pressing her ear to Socinus' chest. "Where's the med kit?" Baltar handed over the one he had been carrying. The woman opened it and started to dig through it and Socinus wheezed. Serina wondered if there was anything for headaches in the kit: her head was_ killing _her and her ears were ringing slightly.

Chief Tyrol went over to the deckhand. "How you doing?" he asked, laying a comforting hand on the mans face, "Hey, how you doing, buddy?"

Socinus managed to get out, "Good. Just listening to the birds."

Serina and Tyrol both looked up at that. "I'll be damned. I don't remember the last time I heard birds," Chief Tyrol admitted. Serina agreed. She had not heard birds in a month, but it felt like years. Socinus coughed.

"Damn it," Seelix said. Crash crouched down next to the woman, a sort of wordless: _what's wrong_? "We're out of Serisone," Seelix answered.

Crash looked up at Tarn and ordered, "Tarn, get the other med kit."

There was a moment of silence. "What other med kit?" Tarn asked.

_Frak! _Serina cursed in her mind, she had already figured out what had most likely happened. Because of Crash and the rush he had been in, the med kit had probably been left behind.

"Oh, don't frakkin' tell me. We pulled two med kits from the ship. I told you to keep an eye on both of them."

"I only saw the one, sir."

"There were two."

"Well, I did!" He shouted. He looked down, lips pursed. Angry. Serina put her head in her hands. Someone would have to go back.

"Sir, his lungs are filling up with fluid. If he doesn't get more Serisone soon, he's not gonna make it," Seelix stated.

Crash thought for a minute. He stood and made his way over towards the dark haired man. "Okay, Tarn. You forgot the med kit, so you're gonna have to go back and get it. Take a rifle, three clips of ammo, and a canteen."

"What?" the other man asked, voice a whisper.

"Move!"

"Cally, come here. Watch the rear." He handed his rifle over to the girl and made his way towards Crash. "El-tee, you can't send him alone."

Crash sighed, exasperated, "You questioning my orders, Chief?"

"No, I'm just pointing out a flaw in your plan. Doesn't need to be any bigger than that. Cally and I can go with him."

Serina stepped up. "I'll go too. That was a big field and four pairs of eyes can search much better then one. We'll be there and back faster, and there's strength in numbers," she argued.

Crash conceded, "All right, fine, but would you look out for Cally?" Tyrol and Serina had already started walking away. Serina thought the answer was obvious so she didn't both with a reply.

"Cally, give me the rifle. We four go. Leave that," he said, pointing to something in Tarn's hand, "Leave your backpack." Serina removed hers as well.

"Sidearms out," Serina cut in. "Tarn, you bring up the rear. Cally, in the middle. I don't have a rifle, so Chief you take point."

Chief nodded. "Shh," he gestured, telling the younger two not to make any noise. "Eyes and ears."

* * *

The four of them made it back to the field, keeping low to the ground and hiding the the tall grass. Serina's eyes were pealed for eye sight of the shiny Cylon metal. They approached the ruins, firearms out and ready. Serina's grip on her sidearm was crushing. Her head was still pounding and she was incredibly fatigued, but she pressed on.

"Okay, Tarn. Go up, take a look. If it's not there, it's at the Raptor, and we'll have to move up more," Chief said. Serina had no objections to his giving out orders. In fact, she was more then willing to let him.

Tarn moved forward through the grass, sidearm in his hands but pointed at the ground, like Serina's. Hi eyes were wide open, searching. "I got it, Chief!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the kit.

"Let's get the hell out of here, then," Serina said.

"Tarn, on point," Chief said. "Let's go. Go, go, go, go, go."

They did just that. They managed to make it back to the tree line and into the forest without incident. Tarn had handed the med kit off to Cally and was now leading back towards where they had come from, where Crash and the others would be waiting.

Serina's concentration was moving in and out. At points she'd find herself randomly thinking about her life back on Caprica before everything happened. She, more frequently, found herself thinking about Lee. She kept having to force herself back into focus.

She spotted a bird up in one of the trees, and found herself thinking about the time she went bird watching with her crazy Uncle John. Serina had been too young then to be on her own, and John had volunteered to babysit her while her mother and father were at some dinner party.

They'd spent the whole day in some forest on Caprica, looking for birds. Finally, her brother Robert had shown up… no, it had been Uncle Matt who'd shown up to rescue her. Or maybe it had been Robert…. Serina found he couldn't quite remember.

She shook her head, bringing herself back to the moment. Back to Kobol. No matter how much she wished her were elsewhere, she had to stay _there_ in her mind. If they were ambushed, or stumbled across a bunch of Cylons, she'd have to be ready.

"This makes no sense. Why am I carrying the med kit when you forgot it?" Cally asked as they continued to move through the forest. Serina was walking up the hill they were on, behind Cally.

"Okay, first of all that's the El-tee's kit," he said. "Secondly, I'm on point."

"Whatever."

"All right, children, that's enough," Tyrol said to them from behind Serina. "I'll tell you what, Cally. If it makes you feel any better, I'll put him on hangar deck mop-up duty with you for next week."

"Now you're talking," Cally said.

"For what?" Tarn asked, turning around. "If anybody should have mop duty, it's El-tee." Serina was inclined to agree, but only Lee would be able to give Crash a punishment like that. Well, or Commander Adama, she supposed.

Shots were fired. "Go! Go! Get down!" Tyrol shouted. Tarn fell after having been hit twice, once in the chest and another in the stomach. Serina and Cally and Tyrol made it to a semi-safe place to hide.

"Top of the ridge!" Tyrol said, firing at the Cylons.

"Chief," Serina said, "Give me the rifle! I'll cover you! Tarn needs help," she shouted to him to be heard over the Cylon fire. He removed the shoulder strap and handed the rifle over to her.

"Suppressive fire," he said. He pulled out his sidearm and fired a shot up at the Cylons. "Okay, okay, wait for me. Wait for me, all right?"

"I got it, Chief. I got you," she assured.

He tapped her shoulder, "Go, go, go, go, go." She stood somewhat and fired at the Cylons. She couldn't see them, but she followed where they had been firing from. Chief shot as he tried to move towards Tarn. He groaned and rolled to the ground, taking cover after a Cylon shot had been too close.

"Don't move! I'm coming for you, don't move!" Tyrol called out to the man on the ground. Tarn groaned and screamed as he was hit again. Serina fired more shots off. "Cally, help me out here! Cally!"

Cally fired shots off with her sidearm and Serina continued to try to lay down cover fire for her Chief. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the loud noises made her ears feel like they were on fire, but she kept firing.

"Give me fire! Go!"

"We can't see them!" Serina shouted.

"They're dug in, Chief," Cally shouted at the same time. "I can't see them!"

"Cover me!" Chief managed to get over to Tarn, moving quickly. He grabbed the man and dragged him back to safety. Cally and Serina kept firing. Dirt was flying everywhere as they Cylons bullets hit the ground around them.

Chief heaved Tarn onto his back and started to move away. Tarn must've gotten shot again, because he screamed out.

"Chief!" Cally shouted. Serina kept shooting and then moved to follow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:**** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"I don't see them," Serina whispered to Cally, keeping her voice low in case the Cylons were still nearby, like she feared, "Do you?"

She shook her head. "Chief, they're not following us anymore," Cally announced.

Tyrol was carrying Tarn on his back, trying to help the injured man to safety. "Cally, there. There." He was headed towards some rocks under a ridge. "I know you're hit, buddy. It's okay, I'm gonna check you right now. I'm gonna put him here, Cal."

He put there other man down. "Okay. I'm gonna check you right now." Tarn was grunting out a few sentences. Serina thought she heard the words: _I wanna go home_. She couldn't agree more. She didn't care what ship she was on (_Galactica _or _Night Flight_), all she wanted as to see her family and Lee... she wanted to see the people she cared about again.

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad. It's not that bad," he assured the other man with quick words and then ordered, "Serina, check the ridge."

Serina didn't say a word, she just did as she was told. She noticed his use of her first name vaguely and didn't care. She knew the military had all sorts of rules and what not, and instructions on how to address superiors, but didn't care. Now was not the time for regulations, even though it seemed like it would be. Survival depended on both a combination of following the rules and trusting one another.

"I wanna go home, Chief," Tarn admitted, confirming what Serina had suspected. The sound of his voice... it brought tears to the dark-haired woman's eyes. She could hear his pain as he spoke, voice sounding strained with effort.

"I know, I know. We're going home. We're going home, okay? Okay," the Chief spoke in calming tones. Tarn mumbled something that Serina could not hear or understand. He might've been repeating himself. "Sh, sh, sh, sh. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Stay with me. Hey, hey. Look at me. Look at me. Stay with me, stay with me. Be with me, be with me. Come on, come on. Hey, hey, hey, hey."

Serina closed her eyes and murmured a prayer for Tarn as he died. The man had seemed so young—he'd looked to be about Serina's age. People just kept dying, it seemed. She prayed to the Lords that they took care of the man now. She then opened her eyes once again, scanning for Cylons and suppressing tears. Gods, she couldn't get off this planet soon enough.

"Chief," Cally said. "Chief, we gotta go." Serina moved back down off the ridge as Cally said that. She was thankful she wasn't the one who had said it. The words were true, but she found herself also a little reluctant to leave. She wanted to be able to pay her proper respects, but there wasn't enough time. "We gotta go. We gotta go. Chief."

Serina saw the Chief, kneeling over the dead Tarn. "That's it," he whispered. He stood up and shouted, "That's it, you stupid, frakked-up crap!" He was having a breakdown, the dark-haired pilot determined, panting heavily. She was close to one as well.

Cally closed the med kit, "Chief, Socinus needs us now. Come on." Chief moved back to the fallen Tarn. Cally grabbed one of his straps, tugging encouragingly on it, "Come on. Come on. Let's go." Cally started to leave. Chief pulled off Tarn's dog tags and Serina used her fingers to lower Tarn's eyelids.

Before she let, she murmured quietly and quickly, "Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer… take his man into your heavens, let him find peace in the afterlife. Let him find rest and family. Let him no longer know the pain of suffering of the mortal word. Let happiness rain upon him like water. Protect his soul and guide him home. Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer."

* * *

Cally, Serina, and Chief Tyrol walked in silence. Serina had started to feel dizzy a while back but the feeling had faded a few minutes ago. Her ears were still ringing and her headache was no better then it had been before. Now, her heart hurt too. She had vowed not to let anyone die, but hadn't been able to save Tarn.

Maybe if she had been more focused. Her mind had started wandering again, shortly after. Now, she was thinking of more depressing memories, like when her mother died or when her father died. The day Nick had run away…. Lee. She was thinking about Lee too, and how she might never see him again. How she might not see his smile.

Depressingly, she was also thinking about how he might not even care. Her mind was taunting her with images of him and Starbuck. Laughing, happy, _a couple_. Serina didn't want to loose Lee to the woman. She didn't want to loose Lee at all. Or anyone for that matter. She had already lost enough family and enough friends. Loosing more would just mean more heartbreak and sadness.

She also thought about her aunt and gods-father and her friend Sheba. Serina wondered if they were alright and how their mission was going. She wondered if they had learned of her disappearance and were mounting their own rescue party.

If Sheba found out she'd probably steal a Raptor and come after Serina herself (Serina smiled just barely at the thought). The two had been best friends since… well, Serina couldn't quite remember when, but she was certain the two had been friends for a quite long time. She prayed they were all safe and would stay that way.

Serina came back to reality as Cally said, "What do you say we take five?" Serina was all for taking a break. Her legs and arms hurt, she was exhausted, and her vision was starting to get a bit blurry at the edges. She didn't bring this up, though. She assumed it was just tiredness.

Tyrol leaned against a tree. All three of them were panting heavily, trying to regain their breaths after running from the Cylons. Serina had also given the rifle back to him, switching back to carrying her sidearm instead, hands clutching the weapon tightly. Cally had the med kit. Chief pulled the shoulder strap off and moved to sit down, leaning back against the tree still.

Serina and Cally joined him, each on opposite sides of the deck chief. "How much further, do you think?"

"I don't know," Serina answered, breathing deeply, trying to maintain a sense of calm so she could remain focused. "Chief?"

He stayed silent, looking around at their surroundings with a sort of vacant stare. He was probably thinking about Tarn, Serina supposed. Cally must've been thinking the same thing as Serina, as she told him, "Tarn getting shot, it wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

"Chief?" Serina tried again, gently. "Talk to us."

More silence. Cally shoved him, "Talk to us, mother-frakker!"

Chief looked to her at that. They started laughing and Serina joined in. He put one arm around the girl and kissed the top of her head, "Mother-frakker?"

"Socinus better appreciate this," she said, coughing.

"He's probably lyin' in the sun like some gods-damn emperor. He's an idiot." More laughter. It wasn't a hearty-laugh, as if something were truly funny. More like stress reliving laughter. In order to get pain off their chests, and there was plenty of pain they needed to be rid of.

"Great way to get a tan," Serina sniffled then laughed some more, lightly, for only a moment.

"I hope he's okay," Cally whispered.

"He'll be fine. He's a tough kid. We just, gotta get him the med kit. Yeah, we gotta go, Cally. Serina?"

"I'm up," Serina said, hauling herself to her feet, ignoring the _loud _protests her body made as she did so. "I'm dizzy, but I'm up. Let's go."

They started moving again. The Chief was on point, Cally in the center, and Serina in the rear. They moved quickly through the vast green of the Kobol forest. Serina never hated the color so much in her life. It made her feel sick to her stomach. So much of one color. After being stuck on either the _Galactica _or the _Night Flight _for so long, she'd thought she be relieved to see color again. It was turning out to be the exact opposite.

Their pace was a fast jog through the tall trees and leafy greens. After what felt like hours to Serina, but was probably only a half an hour at the most, they made it back to where they'd started from. To where the others had been waiting. They approached with caution.

"Flash!" Chief called out, warning Crash that they were there and friendlies, not foes. Crash spun around, gun pointed. Chief called out again, "Flash!"

"Thunder," Crash replied, lowering the weapon back down again.

Cally passed the med kit off to Seelix as Tyrol said, "Go, go, go." Urging the girls to hurry and treat Socinus. Serina walked over to Dr. Baltar. He looked no better then the rest of them: dirty and covered in blood. She found it pretty disturbing, to see the politician who was normally so well-washed and groomed so... dirtied and low. He seemed just as sad and pained as everybody else.

"Here. Here. Here. Where's Tarn?" Chief tossed Crash Tarn's dog tags from his front pocket. "What happened?" Crash caught them and, looking down at the tags, he asked.

"Cylons," Tyrol answered in one word. While this was going on Serina turned to Baltar.

"Hey, doc, are you okay?" she asked. He nodded, wordlessly. "Good, good… hang in there."

She turned back to the other's conversation just in time to hear Chief Tyrol say, "What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We've got the med kit; give him a shot. Give him another shot!"

"Too late," Seelix replied, tearing up.

"What do you mean it's too late?" Tyrol asked. He was angry. Cally stood from where she had been next to Socinus's side. "I got you the med kit. What else do you want? So we go get the medicine you asked for. Tarn-for what? For this! Come on, you gotta do something. You have to do something."

Serina sat down on the ground and put her head between her knees. She just kept failing, in her eyes. She kept letting people die. Maybe they shouldn't have stopped and rested. No, no, that wasn't it… they must've been sitting for three minutes, that couldn't have made too much of a difference. No, it had to have been the Cylons that slowed them down.

"I can't change that he's gonna die, Chief. It's gonna be slow and painful and we can spare him that. We can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back."

Serina couldn't see what was happening, but she could still hear it through the dull ringing in her ears. "What? No. El-tee? El-tee, come on."

"He's your man, Chief."

"Give it to me. Give it to me. Hey, buddy. It's Chief. How ya doin'?"

"What's goin' on, Chief?"

"Well, you know. Just listening to the birds." Socinus groaned. "I, uh... I got a little somethin' for the pain. Good news, buddy. We got a rescue party here. The Raptor just landed. We're gonna put you on it, take you back to Galactica. Okay?"

"I'm goin' home?"

"Yeah. You're goin' home." Socinus died peacefully and painlessly.

Once again, Serina said a prayer, lifting her face but keeping her eyes closed. "Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer." She sniffled, "Take this man we send to you into your arms. Take his soul and show him the way home. May he finally find peace, free from this world. Let him find rest, eternally. Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer. So say we all."

"So say we all," everyone repeated.

* * *

Crash started to speak to where two sets of dog tags hung off a tree branch just behind the bodies they'd covered with dirt. They'd carried Socinus back to where they'd left Tarn.

"Lords of Kobol, take these brave men into your arms. Take upon your arms the spirits of our fallen—take up in your arms the spirits of our fallen friends so that they may share in the everlasting life that awaits us all beyond the vale of tears. So say we all."

"So say we all," the rest chimed.

Then they prepared to move out. "Doc...let's go. We're moving out. Doc, you hear me?" Dr. Baltar looked over at the Chief, breaking his stare off the buried bodies. Chief tossed him a bag, "We're moving out," Chief said.

"I did hear you, Chief." Baltar put the bag on his back. "I just don't respond to the title 'Doc.' A 'dock' is a platform for loading and unloading material. My title is 'doctor,' or 'Mr. Vice President,' if you don't mind."

"You are loading, are you not?" Chief asked. Serina snorted without any real amusement and followed the two as they started off. Serina and the _Doc _kept moving, but Chief turned back. "El-tee? El-tee! Crash!"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, Chief, I'll be right there." He grabbed the dog tags and then moved out.

* * *

The three women were sitting while Crash and the Chief scanned for Cylons via binoculars. Dr. Baltar was sitting as well, leaning back against a tree.

"No Cylons," Tyrol said, still looking through the field glasses.

"You sure?" Crash asked, still looking through his field glasses as well.

"Uh-oh. Wait a minute. Tree line, two o'clock."

"Got 'em. What are they doing?"

"Looks like they're dismantling the ship."

"Why? Why not just use it to fly the hell out of here?"

"I don't know. I can't tell. They're...dragging it into the tree line. It's, uh... oh, wait oh minute. They're building something."

"Chief, is that a…"

"A missile. They're building a missile battery."

"Frak!" Serina sighed.

"Well, at least we know why they're not chasing us."

"Why? Why aren't they chasing us?"

"Because they don't have to. They can just sit back, launch a missile barrage that'll wipe out every living thing in this valley."

* * *

"Why am I so tired?" Serina asked no one in particular. "Why am I so…" She stopped and shook her head, "What's going on? What are we doing?"

Seelix went over to Serina. "Open your eyes," she said. "Look at me." Serina blinked and looked at the woman in front of her. "I think you have a concussion. What's your name?"

Serina frowned, "S-Serina. Serina Dara." Seelix grabbed a small flashlight from the med kit and shined it into Serina's eyes. She winced and closed them, but opened them again a moment later at Seelix's request.

"Do you know where you are?"

"In a forest on… on…" Serina struggled to recall the name of the planet.

"Kobol," Seelix supplied. "You're on Kobol. Our Raptor crashed, remember?"

Serina nodded slowly, "Yeah… yeah, that's right. Kobol. It's so green. So green. I hate green…. Gods, I'm so sleepy."

"You have to stay awake alright?" Seelix said. "Stay with us, okay?"

"What, what's wrong with her?" Tyrol asked.

"Concussion," Seelix repeated. "We have to make sure she stays awake. Make sure it doesn't get any worse. How's your vision?"

"A little _fuzzy_," Serina admitted. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just tired." Serina tried to get to her feet

"You shouldn't move around too much," Seelix said, pushing her back down. "We still have the stretcher, right? Chief, help me get her on it."

Serina shook her head, "I'm fine. Really." She tried to argue as the two forced her onto the stretcher. "This isn't necessary. I'm feeling much better now."

"Sometimes the pain goes away," Seelix said, "But it might come back even worse."

Serina tried to sit up but Tyrol pushed her back down. "I'm not loosing any more people. Shut up and lie down!" Serina blinked up at the man and nodded. The deaths of Tarn and Socinus had really hit him pretty hard. Everyone hated the planet and were beyond ready to get off.

Dr. Baltar had been sent out to do some scouting. In fact, everyone had gone scouting, but Seelix and Serina had stayed behind to 'watch camp.' The Chief had returned in time to find out that another officer was hurt. Thankfully, she wasn't about to die.

"You're a good man, Chief," she whispered. "You keep us safe. I'm supposed… to keep us safe." She giggled, "I can't even keep myself safe! Gods, my head hurts," she whined.

* * *

The others returned from their scouting shortly after and Crash asked for reports from all the people, and shared his own. He was writing down information in a little notebook. Serina watched from where she was reluctantly lying.

"The launcher looks like a simple point-and-shoot. No built-in guidance," Crash said.

"Ordnance appear to be standard ship-to-ship missiles. They're modifying them for atmospheric flight," Chief Tyrol shared with them.

"One Cylon Centurion walks the perimeter, stopping at regular intervals," Cally reported.

Dr. Baltar took his turn informing the group that: "The DRADIS dish that controls the missiles is on the 4.5 kg wavelength, judging by the diameter. It's guarded by two centurions, I think."

"I'm sorry, Doc, did you say it was guarded by two centurions?"

"Yes, I did."

_Five Cylons_, Serina thought. There were six of them, but five Cylons could easily take them down. Frak, _one _Cylon could take them down without sustaining any damage. They were killing machines, quite literally. Serina wasn't going to be much help, if they wouldn't let her move.

"Okay, is the DRADIS guarded continuously of intermittently?" Crash asked a follow-up question.

There was a pause. "I saw two centurions through the field glasses...continuously, for five minutes. In that time, they didn't leave their post," Baltar answered.

"So there's three toasters near the launcher. Two more out by the dish. That's a lot of Cylons," Crash said, his statement mirroring Serina's thoughts. "You ever handle a weapon?" Crash questioned Dr. Baltar.

"Who, me? No. I'm not a soldier, Crashdown."

"I'll try to give you the most simple assignment, but I'm gonna need every man."

"We can't move Lieutenant Dara," Seelix pointed out. "She has a bad concussion."

"Lean up me against a tree," Serina suggested. "I'll lay cover fire."

Tyrol stared at Crash from his post at a nearby tree. "You're not suggesting we _attack_ the Cylons?"

"We owe it to Socinus and Tarn to tack the frakkers out before they kill anyone else. We have equal numbers. We have the element of surprise. Therefore, we have the initiative. We can attack at the time and place of our choosing."

"El-tee, a word… in private," Tyrol requested. The two moved off, away from the group.

"He's crazy. I'm not trained for this kind of thing. I've never fired a gun in my life."

"I haven't fired one since basic," Seelix sympathized.

"You?" he asked, looking at Cally with a sort of terrified look.

"I just joined to pay for dental school."

Baltar then turned to Serina who shrugged as best she could, "I was a reporter." Serina did used to hunt with her Uncle John. As much as he liked bird watching she had been surprised to learn that he liked to shoot them down too. Serina had never been any good at it though. Robert had loved it, but Serina and Nick had been hopeless. Shooting Cylons in her Viper was one thing, though. Shooting them on the ground was going to be a whole other story.

"Great," he said. "A doctor, a dentist, and a reporter…. We're going to die," he declared.

"That's enough!" Crash shouted at Tyrol. The doctor, the dentist, the reporter, and Seelix looked over at them. Crash looked back momentarily but looked back to the Chief, continuing in a lower tone.

"Uh oh," Serina said. She tried to sit up again, but Seelix pushed her back down. As Chief Tyrol returned to the group, they all shared looks. They were all worried, concerned, and scared. Serina felt fear even more acutely now, since she wasn't aloud to move.

* * *

Serina was lying next to a makeshift graph on the ground, looking at the thing with apprehension. Dr. Baltar was crouching nearby but the rest of the _Raptor One _crew were standing.

"This briefing will outlining a plan of attack in five graphs. Graph one: Situation. Our situation is that we are stranded on Kobol with a group of five Cylons who plan to use an AAU to destroy any SAR craft sent to find us. There are no friendly forces present," Crash said, reading from his notepad.

Dr. Baltar stood, stepped over the graph, and up to Chief Tyrol. "What's all this graph business?" he whispered. Serina could only hear him because her head was now near his feet.

"It's a five-paragraph order. It's a basic command tool. It's taught at officer candidate school. It's just not usually used this... literally in the field," Tyrol replied, arms crossed.

"Graph Two," Crash had been saying at the same time. "Our mission is to destroy the AAU. Graph Three is administrative. I'm in command, Tyrol is the second." Serina couldn't second, even though it was her right by rank. Her injury kept it from being an option, thus the responsibility fell to the Chief. "Graph Four: Execution. We will assault the Cylon launch site from the northwest, using—"

Baltar interrupted, "Oh, come on. This is absurd. What, we're talking on the Cylon army, are we? Us? Look at us. What, with two rifles and a canteen? Have you lost your mind?"

"That's enough, doctor," Tyrol said.

"Is it? Look, no disrespect, but why are we always going uphill? Does anybody else think that this plan is frakking nuts? I'll tell you what's fair. This is fair. We'll have a show of hands—" he raised his hand.

"No! Absolutely not! This is not a democracy! The El-Tee's in charge! The El-Tee's in charge. No ifs, no ands, no buts. He say we go, we go. There's no questions…"

"We've already lost two men, Chief!" Baltar shouted, "How many more people are we gonna lose?" Silence. Serina sighed, _As if he didn't know that_, she thought.

"You need to sit down and shut up right now."

"Nobody tells me to shut up. I'm the Vice President—"

"You need to sit down and shut up right now," he said, walking towards Baltar. Baltar cowered and sat down. "Your briefing, El-tee."

"Thank you, Chief," Crash resumed the briefing. "Graph Four. We'll approach the Cylon launch site from the northwest, using natural ground cover to mask our approach. Our objective is the command and control console. Once we reach this position," he pointed with a stick, "Cally, you're gonna flank out to the left, making a feint on the Cylon position. Hopefully drawing their fire long enough for me and Seelix to flank out to the right and get a shot at the console. Tyrol, you, Dara, and the Vice President will stay at position one, and provide covering fire for both flanking maneuvers."


End file.
